Diébédo Francis Kéré Becomes The First African To Receive The Highest Honor in Architecture-Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022

3/26/22, 9:39 PM Diébédo Francis Kéré becomes the First African to receive the highest honor in Architecture- Pritzker
Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022…
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Diébédo Francis Kéré becomes the First

African to receive the highest honor in
Architecture- Pritzker Architecture Prize
2022
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The Pritzker Architecture Prize, world’s the most prestigious award in the architectural
community, that motives and encourages
will assume thatprofessionals to it.build their work by demon-
you are happy with
strating qualities of talent, vision, and commitment.
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Diébédo Francis Kéré_©https://www.holcimfoundation.org/media/news/kere-pritzker-laureate-2022
Last year, the Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded to Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe
Vassal, this year the bronze medallion is awarded to Diébédo Francis Kéré, Burkinabé ar-
chitect who has worked hard to provide better infrastructural facilities across Africa and
now leaving his footprints across globe. Apart from giving the world projects like Gando
School Garden and Well, Dano Secondary School, Centre for Earth Architecture, Mopti,
Kéré, has also worked as a lecturer in his alma mater Technical University of Berlin, and
has been a invited as a guest lecturer at University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, visiting lec-
turer at Harvard and Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio. His architectural work has
received national and worldwide recognition, including the Aga Khan Award for
Architecture for his debut building, the Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso and the
Global Holcim Award 2012 Gold.
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“Through buildings that demonstrate beauty, modesty, boldness, and invention, and by
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the integrity of his architecture and geste, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this
Prize,” stated in the official statement of the Pritzker Architecture Prize committee.
“I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk. It is not be-
cause you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you
should not try to create quality,” says Kéré in the Pritzker Architecture Prize announce-
ment. “Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves com-
fort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for
us all.”
Diébédo Francis Kéré, comes from a location, Burkina Faso, where basic amenities like
clean water, electricity and infrastructure are missing from the lives of citizens living there.
OK
He was the first child of the village chief, who wanted Diébédo to learn how to read and
write. Being the first to receive a proper education, he had to relocate himself to his
uncle’s house, as his village,Gando, did not have an educational establishment.
He became a carpenter after finishing his education and earned a grant from the Carl
Duisberg Society to do an apprenticeship as a development aid supervisor in Germany. He
went on to study architecture at the Technical University of Berlin and graduated in 2004.
OK
During his study, along with some of his friends he established the Kéré foundation, (ear-
lier name Schulbausteine für Gando translating to Building Blocks for Gando) as a way to
show his contribution towards his family and community that supported him. Once he fin-
ished his graduation, Kéré built the first school in Gando in 2004 and established Kéré
Architecture in 2005 with a motive to give the infrastructure that he was not privileged to
achieve.
The 2022 Jury Citation states, in part, “He knows, from within, that architecture is not
about the object but the objective; not the product, but the process. Francis Kéré’s entire
body of work shows us the power of materiality rooted in place. His buildings, for and with
communities, are directly of those communities – in their making, their materials, their
programs and their unique characters.”
OK
lycee Schorge Secondary School_©https://www.architectural-review.com/archive/retrospective-the-

way-by-kere
Ideology and Philosophy
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“He has served as a singular beacon in architecture,” said the Pritzker jury. “He has shown
us how architecture today can reflect and serve needs, including the aesthetic needs, of
peoples throughout the world.”
Diébédo Francis Kéré, an architect, social activist and an educator, built his every project
on a simple ideology- to fulfil the basic needs and correct the social inequalities through
the utilisation of local materials present in the country.
His first project, the Gando Primary School, became the pillar of this ideology, which he
maintained throughout his career. The project had a checklist of parameters which in-
cluded cost, climate, resource availability, and construction feasibility. Instead of being
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called a project, the school must be called an infrastructural sculpture, as it was made by
combining modern construction techniques with abundantly available material, the clay.
OK
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-news/a5459-diebedo-francis-kere-becomes-the-first-african-to-receive-the-highest-honor-in-a… 11/36
Gando Primary School_©https://www.archdaily.com/785955/primary-school-in-gando-kere-

architecture
Over the years, his works have created a massive wave in the sustainable development
sector. His collaboration with the readily available material, clay, has also earned the title
of “the material of the poor” in the architectural community. His way of looking at the
projects has shown the world that not is impossible, when your will is stronger than the
barriers.
“Architecture is primarily a service to humanity” says Diébédo Francis Kéré.
Some notable Projects by Diébédo Francis Kéré
As written in his website introduction, “At the intersection of utopia and pragmatism we
create contemporary architecture that feeds the imagination with an afro-futurist vision”,
Kéré, has provided the world spaces that are encourage young architects and designers to
adapt, observe and appreciate the surroundings instead of utilizing foreign methods for a
simple task.
National Park of Mali
Location: Bamako, Mali OK
Year: 2010
Site area: 103 hectares
National Park of Mali_©https://www.dezeen.com/2022/03/15/diebedo-francis-kere-projects-roundup-

architecture/
Kéré built a series of buildings in the National Park in Bamako, Mali’s capital, to commem-
orate the country’s 50th anniversary of independence, with the goal of unifying the ne-
glected botanical and zoological gardens.
Each structure was built with natural stone and was meant to give plenty of shade for its
visitors. The structures also include fitness, jogging, cycling and mountaineering tracks of
varying difficulty and diverse interpretive awareness trails for botany, birds and nature.
Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale (Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale)

Location: Laongo, Burkina Faso
Year: 2014
OK
Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale_©https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/csps-

medical-centre-burkina-faso%E2%80%99s-opera-village-now-open
Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale or Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale, was

established as a key component of the Village Opera project, which was created in collabo-
ration with the late Christoph Schlingensief, and is dedicated to providing basic health and
medical services to the local community.
While constructing the team also made sure that buildings are adaptive structures that in-
cluded systems for passive ventilation, solar energy, and water collection and
management.
Serpentine Pavillion
Location: London
Year: 2017
OK
Serpentine Pavillion_©https://www.archdaily.com/874091/diebedo-francis-kere-serpentine-pavilion-
opens-london-will-come-alive-when-it-rains
Inspired by a tree, the pavilion features an oval shaped courtyard structure, enclosed by
curved walls constructed with the help of stacked wooden blocks, and a slatted timber
roof. The cancopy is inspired from the trees present in Kéré village.
“Where I come from in Burkina Faso, a tree is often a public space. It can be a kinder-
garten, it can be a market – a gathering place for everyone” said Kéré.
The translucent polycarbonate panels on the slatted timber roof keep the rainwater off vis
itors while allowing light to pass through to give the space an luminating effect.
The canopy’s funnel design is meant to channel rainwater into a well constructed at the
pavilion’s centre, from where the water gets
dispersed underground to the surrounding park.
Startup Lions Campus will assume that you are happy with it.
Location: Kenya
OK
Year: 2021
Site area: 1416 sq.mt
Startup Lions Campus_©https://www.archdaily.com/964238/startup-lions-campus-kere-architecture
Inspiration can be found both in the sky or on the ground. For this structure, Diébédo
Francis Kéré found his inspiration in the termite houses. The structure was built for a non-
profit organisation, Learning Lions, who have made it a mission to train young Kenyans in
information and communication technologies.
It’s made of locally sourced quarry stone and has a terracotta-colored concrete plaster fin-
ish. This method was chosen since it is low-cost and allows the local community’s skills to
be utilised in its development.
OK
Diébédo Francis Kéré’ standing in front of his project- Xylem Pavilion_©

https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/99/994c60e4aab1678b1ec77f06438fc056.jpg?
auto=compress%2Cformat
Overall, Diébédo Francis Kéré, the man of simple ethics, gathers his concepts and materi-
als, from observing the surrounding, this not only helps the community in having low cost
structures, but at the same time employees local men giving them employment, economi-
cal helping the suppliers of local materials and showcasing the world, how local materials
can be utilised in modern structures.
OK
+3
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AFRICA ANNE LACATON AND JEAN-PHILIPPE VASSAL DIÉBÉDO FRANCIS KÉRÉ
IDEOLOGY KENYA PHILOSOPHIES PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE
PRIZE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

will assume
 thatyou are
 happy
 with it.
OK
Samanata Kumar
Samanata Kumar, is a young interior designer, driven by keen interest for Architectural
heritage and culture. Her curiosity includes parameters of architecture and design,
photography, travelling, writing, roller skating and air rifle shooting for leisure. Her latest
focus includes gaining knowledge in development of housing typologies around the
world, space psychology and conspiracies in architecture.
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3/26/22, 9:39 PM Diébédo Francis Kéré becomes the First African to receive the highest honor in Architecture- Pritzker

Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022…

Diébédo Francis Kéré becomes the First

Diébédo Francis Kéré_©https://www.holcimfoundation.org/media/news/kere-pritzker-laureate-2022

lycee Schorge Secondary School_©https://www.architectural-review.com/archive/retrospective-the-

Ideology and Philosophy

Gando Primary School_©https://www.archdaily.com/785955/primary-school-in-gando-kere-

“Architecture is primarily a service to humanity” says Diébédo Francis Kéré.

Some notable Projects by Diébédo Francis Kéré

National Park of Mali_©https://www.dezeen.com/2022/03/15/diebedo-francis-kere-projects-roundup-

Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale (Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale)

Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale_©https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/csps-

Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale or Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale, was

Startup Lions Campus_©https://www.archdaily.com/964238/startup-lions-campus-kere-architecture

Diébédo Francis Kéré’ standing in front of his project- Xylem Pavilion_©

AFRICA ANNE LACATON AND JEAN-PHILIPPE VASSAL DIÉBÉDO FRANCIS KÉRÉ

IDEOLOGY KENYA PHILOSOPHIES PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

PRIZE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Laptop Screen that Folds in Half introduced by Asus

Vision for a Self-Sufficient Valley in Armenia unveiled by

LightVision headset to enable “powerful meditation”

A system of smart houses that adapts to rising sea

Competition to Design International Cruise Centre in

Vancouver’s 1700 Alberni Towers Design updated by

Rethinking The Future Awards 2022

How to Design Architecture Portfolio

The Ultimate Thesis Guide

Complete Architecture Package for Design Studios

Complete Architecture Package for Students

How to Get Your Projects Published | Online Course

How To Build A Brand For A Design Studio | Online Course

Introduction to Architectural Journalism | Online Course

Design Thinking in Architecture | Online

Introduction to Landscape Architecture | Online Course

Introduction to Urban Design | Online Course

How to Use Biomimicry in Architecture | Online Course

Introduction to Product Design | Online Course

How to Design Streets | Online Course

Introduction to Passive Design Strategies | Online Course

Introduction to Skyscraper Design | Online Course

How to Design Affordable Housing | Online Course

Complete Guide to Dissertation Writing | Online Course

The Ultimate Masters Guide For Architects | Online Course

The Perfect Guide to Architecting your Career | Online Course

Complete Architecture Package for Design Studios v 3.0

Complete Architecture Package for Students v 3.0

RTF Content Policy

RTF Privacy Policy

RTF Terms & Condition

© 2015-2021 Rethinking Internet Media Pvt Ltd. All registered. Sitemap

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