Burkino Faso-born architect Diébédo Francis Kéré is the first African to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize in architecture. His esteemed work, including permanent and temporary structures, has been erected in his native country but also in Africa, Europe and the United States.
Mr. Kéré, 56, was delighted with the award, which is considered the most prestigious award for architecture, and described himself as the “happiest man in the world”.
But his decades-long journey to the top of his field has been far from easy, with limited opportunities in his village.
“I grew up in a community where there was no kindergarten, but where the community was your family,” he told the Pritzker Prize.
“I remember the room where my grandmother sat by a little light and told stories as we huddled close together and her voice surrounded the room, urging us to come closer and form a safe space. This was my first sense of architecture,” he continued.
At the age of seven, Mr. Kéré found himself crammed into an extremely hot classroom with more than 100 other students.
As the first child in his community to attend school, this experience of poor construction opportunities was his earliest inspiration to improve the educational lives of Burkina Faso’s children through the use of architecture.
Years later and after studying in Germany, the dream became a reality when, in 2001, Mr. Kéré designed the first building for a primary school in his home village of Gando.
According to the award’s website, it was built with significant input from local people who provided labor and resources.
The primary school’s success earned Mr. Kéré the 2004 Aga Khan Prize, awarded every three years to identify building projects that meet the needs of societies with large Muslim populations.
The reputation of the Gando school later paved the way for him to design other educational institutions such as the Lycée Schorge, also in Burkina Faso.
One of the distinguishing features of Mr. Kéré’s work is his use of light, which the Pritzker Prize presenters noted in their announcement: “A poetic expression of light runs through Kéré’s works in midday conditions to provide places of rest or gathering.”
Mr. Kéré’s distinctive use of light is also evident in his design of healthcare facilities, such as the Center for Health and Social Welfare in Burkina Faso’s Opera Village, which according to the architect’s own website is still under construction.
In addition to his designs in Burkina Faso, the award-winning architect has also designed permanent and temporary structures across Europe and the United States, such as B. the Serpentine Pavilion 2017 in London.
Each year, the Serpentine Gallery invites an international architect to construct their first ever building in London on its site.
His inspiration for the design was the trees in his home village of Gando, with structures that visitors wanted to connect with the surrounding nature, according to the Serpentine website.
Mr. Kéré has also created designs for the famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held annually in California, which attracts celebrities and big names in entertainment, including Billie Eilish, Swedish House Mafia and Kanye West, who will be performing this year.
Mr. Kéré’s design for the 2019 festival was called Sarbalé Ke, which means ‘House of Celebration’. His inspiration for the structure was the baobab tree, which has a hollow inner bark.
Mr. Kéré’s ongoing architectural work includes parliament buildings in Burkina Faso and Benin. Although unfinished, the designs once again show his signature use of light.
- Pomp and color at Africa’s largest film festival
- ‘Biggest Show Yet’ for South African Artists in London
- Colonial food, cockfights and crowded buses
All pictures are subject to copyright
Add Comment