The Pritzker Architecture Prize is the world's most prestigious award for architecture. Last week, for the first time ever, the annual prize was awarded to an architect from Africa, Diébédo Francis Kéré. Kéré was born in Burkina Faso and now lives in Germany.
Kéré doesn't design artful homes for rich people, like so many other Pritzker winners. His projects are mostly in Africa, fulfilling the needs of various communities. He designs schools, clinics, hospitals, and government buildings, each taking its context and local conditions under consideration. His buildings incorporate locally-available building materials. They take advantage of the landscape for heating, cooling, and ventilation. The designs are not only interesting and artful in a simple way, they are designed to encourage interaction between people. They also allow for future expansion. In other words, the usefulness of a facility is paramount, but does not preclude beautiful design.
Kéré's first project, an elementary school in his home village in Burkina Faso, won an award in 2004. He has also designed structures in Mali, Kenya, the US, and the UK. He has planned designs for federal buildings in both Benin and Burkina Faso. See ten of Kéré's projects and read what makes them unique at Dezeen.
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