One of the world's most important architecture awards, the Pritzker Prize, was won this year by Burkina Faso-based architect Diébédo Francis Kéré.
On March 16, 2022, the winner of this year's Pritzker Prize was announced as Diébédo Francis Kéré. By day, he runs an architecture studio in Berlin, the city where he studied. In their projects, the Kéré Architecture studio team emphasizes involving local communities in design and construction - emphasizing the importance of the social dimension of each project and how quality of life can be affected through architecture.
A school in Gando designed by Kéré Architecture
© Courtesy of Erik-Jan Owerkerk
Burkina Faso, where the architect hails from, is among the poorest countries in the world - growing up there also influenced the mission the award winner set for himself.
I grew up in a community where there was no kindergarten, and the local community was your family. Everyone cared about you, and the whole village was your playground. My days were filled with getting food and water, but also just hanging out with others, talking, building houses. I remember a room where my grandmother would sit and tell stories in the dim light, while we huddled together, and her voice inside the room surrounded us, urging us to move closer and create a safe place. That was my first sense of architecture," recalls the awardee.
Riverside school in Benga designed by Kéré Architecture
© Courtesy of Diébédo Francis Kéré
Kéré Architecture 's projects are all over the world. From small medical posts in Africa, to pavilions and museum edifices in Europe and the United States. For the award winner, there are certainly no subjects too small or unimportant - he fully understands the social responsibility of architecture and its ability to impact the lives of those most in need. Among the most important realizations are the Xylem wooden pavilion, the school in Gando, the Geothe Institute building in Dakar or the National Assembly building in Benin.
With buildings that showcase beauty, modesty, boldness and invention, and with the integrity of its architecture and gesture, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this award, reads the official statement of the Pritzker Prize Chapter.
Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Prize has been awarded since 1979. It was created at the intention of Jay A. Pritzker and his wife Cindy. The purpose was to honor annually a living architect or group of architects of outstanding contribution to the art of architecture and culture. Laureates include Oscar Niemeyer, Arata Isozaki and Zaha Hadid, among others.
A complex of houses in Léo designed by Kéré Architecture
© Courtesy of Diébédo Francis Kéré
