Francis Kéré left his family home when he was seven years old to attend school since his village, Gando in Burkina Faso, lacked one. He went to Germany on a carpenter scholarship thirteen years later, dreaming of returning home to build the classrooms that didn’t exist at the time.
Kéré became an architect and finished his first project, Gando Primary School, in 2001. His career was launched by the initiative, which continues to inform his principles today. After further altering his town and others around Africa with his socially conscious designs, the 56-year-old has been recognized among the greats of his field.
On Tuesday, Kéré was selected the 2022 recipient of the Pritzker Prize, dubbed the “Nobel of architecture.”
With a portfolio primarily consisting of schools, health centers, and community facilities — projects that might have been considered too modest for a prize that has traditionally honored the designers of iconic structures — Kéré became the first African architect to win the prize in its 43-year history. In an interview with CNN shortly after receiving the news, he credited his success to his community in Gando.
“This isn’t just for me,” he said over the phone from Berlin, where his firm, Kéré Architecture, is situated. “This would never have been possible if I hadn’t summoned the courage to come home and persuade my family to join me in my quest to found the school that (launched) my career.”
By casting mud like concrete and embracing local resources above imported ones, Kéré sees a vision of architecture that both helps communities and addresses the climate challenge. As a result, not only is the Pritzker Prize announcement on Tuesday a vote of confidence for him, but also for “vernacular” architecture (designs that respond closely to local climates, materials, and building traditions).
Kéré’s methodology is still founded on the ideals he pioneered in Gando, even though he has since worked on larger projects including large-scale campuses and two national legislatures. After obtaining funds for the school from overseas, the architect returned to his village with plans for a 5,600-square-foot modern and ecological construction. Knowing that the community lacked power and air conditioning, he proposed strategically placed windows that enable indirect sunlight to enter while also generating airflow for natural ventilation.
