A West African architect who won a prestigious industry prize makes it a point to build with local materials and artisans from his home country.
Diébédo Francis Kéré made history on March 15, as the first African-born winner of the Pritzker Prize often referred to as the Nobel prize of architecture.
When he pursued his dream to construct buildings, Kéré did not have awards in mind. Instead, he wanted to build a school in his village in Gando, Burkina Faso, where there was none.
“This is not just a prize for myself,” Kéré told CNN. “Without having the courage to go back home, and to get my people to join me on the journey to build the school that (launched) my career, this would never have been possible.”
Kéré, the eldest son of the village chief, was 7 years old when he first left home to learn. Equipped with a carpentry scholarship at 20 years old, he moved to Germany to further his goal. Kéré returned home and built the Gando Primary School in 2001.
The architect now owns a firm with locations in his hometown and Germany and has a career spanning multiple decades while using mud and clay instead of concrete and other local natural resources to construct his projects. Kéré’s portfolio includes schools, health centers, community facilities and national assemblies.
“The more local materials you use, the better you can promote the local economy and (build) local knowledge, which also makes people proud,” Kéré said.
He not only focuses his work on using resources that are readily available to locals, but he also ensures that the projects employ people in the community, increasing their benefits. Burkinabé was ranked 20th in the world for the lowest GDP per capita, CNN reports. Kéré makes it a practice to hire Burkinabé citizens to do the work, creating jobs in carpentry, welding, brick making, masonry and painting.
Some locals did not take well to Kéré’s concept. Critics are concerned that mud and other natural resources will not be as resilient as manufactured materials. Still, he remained solid in his model for self-sufficiency, self-pride and collaboration. He has expanded the school in his village, increasing capacity. He also has executed plans for a village library and teacher housing.
