The Designer: Diébédo Francis Kéré

The German-trained architect, Francis Kéré is from the small West African town of Gando in Burkina Faso who designed a wide range of award-winning projects in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Yemen and china. his main objective about the projects is to create spaces that work seamlessly with their surroundings, through use of local and natural materials where applicable.

Kéré was born in a village named Gando, a village on the east side of the African country. After working as a carpenter for many years, Kéré earned his architectural degree in Berlin in 2004, where he completed his studies and built the first school in Gando as his diploma project in 2004 then established his firm: Kéré Architecture. His accomplished designs include those for the Burkina Faso National Assembly, the Léo Surgical Clinic & Health Centre (2014), the Lycée Schorge Secondary School (2016), a visitors pavilion for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (2018), and Xylem (2019), a gathering pavilion for the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana.

Focusing at one of the architectural projects featured is Gando Primary School designed in 1999 and completed in 2001. it was the first building of the architect and was completed while the architect was still studying.

The project was based on the principles of designing for climatic comfort with low-cost construction, making the most of local materials and the potential of the local community, and adapting technology from the industrialized world in a simple way since it was seen that most schools in Burkina Faso were built out of concrete, and looking in some places in the Sahel plus the fact that Concrete production is expensive and requires a lot of electricity and when used in the construction, it does not suit the climate within the area.

The primary school was built out of mud bricks of clay, something the community was initially somewhat skeptical about. The material was cheap and readily available in that it had to be experimented to be able to withstand the high temperatures of the area and to improve the quality of clay, some cement was added to make it attractive and innovative. climatic comfort is seen by the overhanging roof, which shades the facades being raised by the metal roof on a steel truss thus allowing moist air to flow freely between the ceiling and the roof. Engaging the community in the construction process helped to bring out more ideas on how to improve the building although they also benefited from the site construction techniques which they could use to build their own houses and to get jobs.

In 2004, the primary school was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture – an award that recognizes architecture with a social responsibility and a sustainable appliance.

REFERENCES

design boom | architecture & design magazine. 2021. diebedo francis kere at small scale, big change: new architectures of social engagement exhibition. [online] Available at: <https://www.designboom.com/architecture/diebedo-francis-kere-at-small-scale-big-change-new-architectures-of-social-engagement-exhibition/> [Accessed 14 October 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Diébédo Francis Kéré - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di%C3%A9b%C3%A9do_Francis_K%C3%A9r%C3%A9> [Accessed 14 October 2021].

Interior Design. 2021. 10 Questions With… Architect Francis Kéré - Interior Design. [online] Available at: <https://interiordesign.net/designwire/10-questions-with-architect-francis-kere/> [Accessed 14 October 2021].

Kinfolk. 2021. Diébédo Francis Kéré - Kinfolk. [online] Available at: <https://www.kinfolk.com/diebedo-francis-kere/> [Accessed 14 October 2021].