Francis Kéré ’ s international success is based on the intersection of two developments
56 africandesignmagazine . com
Franci Less is More in
Francis Dibiédo Kéré ’ s loam architecture forms a cultural bridge between Africa Germany – not as an export , but as a project of mutual exchange . By Frank Kalte
Because Francis Kéré erected his first building while still studying archi school in his native village of Gando in Burkina Faso . At that time , his fellow students made fun of his interest in loam huts in Africa . Today , of the most sought-after protagonists of the international architecture s guest professor , speaker , exhibition designer and architect . Small-scale and medical facilities made from simple , locally-available materials are main focus of his work , but his portfolio is far more varied : it encompa continuing development – in collaboration with artist Christoph Schlin of the Opera Village in Laongo , the design for the National Assembly in Ouagadougou ( the capital of Burkina Faso ), and a protective shelter UNESCO World Heritage site Meroe in Sudan . In Germany , he is at work on the re-p of former military barracks ’ grounds in Münster und Mannheim into residential qua planning a temporary theatre at the Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin .
Radical and simple Despite this meteoric career , Kéré has remained what he always has been : closely bou with his own village of Gando , curious about the world , and full of energy when spe about his projects or initiating new ones . In 2003 , he published his first building in an international architecture journal from Germany , a year later he was distinguished w Khan Award .
His preferred construction materials are loam , which he has local people press into b site , inexpensive corrugated sheeting as roofing , reinforcing steel for filigree trussing as simple concrete constructions . He also makes use of the water jugs common in his as lighting for a library building by embedding them in the ceiling with their mouths down . His architectural concept : radical simplicity . Nonetheless , his buildings with t massive , orange- or ochre-red loam walls and the airy , light sunroof floating over the incomparable charm .
Natural and social And more importantly : they combine – by including residents in the building proces social quality with sustainable climate concepts . Natural ventilation and pleasant roo without elaborate technology , even in the hottest climate zones , are part and parcel o standard of his outstandingly conceived and designed architecture . Kéré has now div and expanded his architectural repertoire . Above all , he is increasingly succeeding in not only individual houses , but entire ensembles , which , like farm houses in Burkina convey comfort and security in the midst of the steppe landscape .