Diébédo Francis Kéré wins the 2022 Pritzker Prize

Diébédo Francis Kéré © Sophie Garcia/ Hans Lucas

A proponent of vernacular architecture that is simple and adapted to climatic conditions, Diébédo Francis Kéré supports the participation of local communities in the development and implementation of each project. In this way, he is able to meet the needs of local people as effectively as possible, while at the same time teaching them the techniques for building and maintaining buildings. His altruistic approach to architecture, which encourages reuse and recycling and generates local economic structures, earned him the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.  in 2009.

His pragmatism comes from his home country, where construction requires coherence and adaptation to the climate. The areas in which he works have to take many environmental criteria into account: the harmattan, a powerful wind that causes sandstorms, monsoons between June and September and high temperatures all year round;

His philosophy of an architecture in situ also aims to reject the quintessential architecture imported from Western countries during colonisation, the patterns of which are still very much present in the construction industry. Faced with this reality, Francis Kéré embodies “The Africa that is not afraid, (…)  that does not want to follow the standards dictated ” and supports a practice of architecture on a local scale, accessible to the inhabitants. Instead of cement imported from Europe, he uses locally extracted clay to insulate the walls of the schools he builds. These local materials are complemented by natural air-conditioning techniques that make Kéré’s architecture deeply adapted to global warming: double roofs, perforated façades, cool water basins at the foot of the chimneys that make the hot air rise and the cold air descend…

However, he refuses to be categorised: “Iam not an expert in earth construction, but an opportunist when it comes to using materials in a given place, for a given project. “

An assertive pragmatism that makes its architecture an accessible practice that makes a given situation the driving force behind its innovation, with a concern for climate and humanism;

Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in Gando in Burkina Faso. As there was no school in his village, he went to Ouagadougou for his schooling, after which he became a carpenter. Thanks to a grant, he was able to go to Berlin for an internship. There he studied architecture and graduated from the Technical University of Berlin in 2004. During his studies, he set up the association “Des briques pour l’école de Gando” (“Schulbausteine für Gando“) and obtained the necessary funding for this first project, which he completed in 2001. In 2004 he was awarded the Aga Khan Prize for excellence in architecture in Muslim societies. Now based in Berlin, the architect contributes tirelessly to building the future of his country and his home continent, starting with schools and hospitals. He has also been teaching at the Bauhaus school as a visiting professor since 2021.

© Simeon Duchoud

Started in October 2000, the construction of the primary school was largely carried out by the local population. While most schools in Burkina Faso are built of cement, the Kéré project uses local materials, reducing construction costs and promoting climate comfort. 

The walls are made of heat-absorbing earth blocks, while the roof is made of corrugated iron and supported by a steel structure that distances it from the body of the building. The roof allows air to circulate better and the walls to be protected from the rain.  

© Iwan Baan

This project is part of a series of works initiated by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which included the restoration of the mosque. The building uses materials that have been used to restore ancient monuments, proving that the same materials, which are part of the local heritage, can also be used in a modern context;

The overall structure is very simple and accommodates various recreation areas in addition to the exhibition space. A projecting roof insulates the walls from the heat, while providing much-needed shade. The building is naturally ventilated by numerous openings;

© Kéré Architecture

An extension of the primary school mentioned above, the library features an innovative roof with numerous circular openings of varying sizes. This system, consisting of terracotta vases drilled and then fixed into the cement screed of the roof, provides good ventilation for the space and a shaded area;

© Iwan Baan

Every year since 2000, the Serpentine Gallery has entrusted a renowned architect who has never built in England with the prestigious task of designing a temporary pavilion to host summer events;

For the 2017 edition, Kéré designed a pavilion inspired by the palabres, a tree in his native village, a symbol of gathering and life, but also shelter from the heat or bad weather. Like a canopy, the broad wooden roof rests on a metal structure that shelters events from the London rain while facilitating air circulation. The lower structure features the same wooden motifs in a bewitching indigo blue.

Considered a “Nobel of Architecture”, the Pritzker, founded in 1979, annually rewards the career of a living architect whose “the work has made a consistent and significant contribution to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. “.

Camille Buzon