Francis Kéré is the winner of the prestigious Pritzker Price for Architecture for the year of 2022. He is the first black person and African architect to receive the price. His work that has a focus in Africa and attention to the local community makes him one of the most celebrated architect in the world.
Kéré was born in Burkina Faso one of the least educated and one of the most impoverished country in the world. It is a place where people does not expect to see great architects. Even though born impoverished, the sense of community within his hometown, Gando, truly affected him and made him return after studying architecture in Europe.
After getting an advanced degree in Engineering in Technische Universität Berlin. Kéré returned to his village and designed the first primary school for his home village. He studied local architecture and building techniques to find innovative ways to increase ventilation within the classrooms and lower the room temperature in the absence of air conditioning. He also allow the local residents to offer their own input into the design of the project. And like all building project within this Gando, Kéré also mobilized the entire town when constructing this project, creating a piece of architecture that is truly by the people and for the people.
1 Comment
Connie Pan · April 17, 2022 at 4:05 am
I think this is what design should look like: community-oriented, problem-solving, engaging, and, of course, visually appealing, or at least interesting. I really want to emphasize how much I love the role the villagers had in the design and construction of the school; I’ve heard a lot about how architects and designers do things and then they’re not practical and the actual people using the design don’t like them. Not only were the villagers involved in the design, but they were physically invested in the process of the building coming to life, as seen in the picture you included of them constructing the flooring! I had never heard of Francis Kéré before, but I’m really interested in looking into more of his work.
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