Francis Kéré – sustainability architect

Sustainable architecture isn’t just en vogue, it’s also necessary. Nonetheless, green washing is also far too commonplace in this sector, “green” star architects fly around the world in private jets and “landmark projects for the future” often entail a sizeable portion of megalomania. In this industry, Diébédo Francis Kéré is a beacon of respectability. This is because sustainability, as he understands it, involves three key elements: it must be modest in design, locally conceived and implemented in a socially responsible manner.  

The projects that have made Kéré famous are built using air-dried clay bricks, replace technological climate solutions with the wisdom of traditional building methods and came about because communities pulled together. First and foremost, this has biographical reasons. The bench on which Francis Kéré sat as a child in a swelteringly hot classroom at school in Gando in Burkina Faso had nails that would bore into his flesh every time he moved. The son of a village chief, Kéré took these nails with him when he went to Germanyto study in Berlin as a reminder that this privilege of studying abroad would only be justified if he could give something back to his community. 

Starting with a new school for Gando, which he completed at low cost together with the village community while still studying in 2001, Kéré based his design on “afro-futurist” principles. He seeks site-appropriate solutions that combine traditional building practices with cutting-edge technology. His design strengthens cultural roots yet is contemporary at the same time.  

Kéré also draws inspiration from Berlin, his adopted home city. In 2010, for example, collaboration with the artist Christoph Schlingensief resulted in the “Opera Village” in Laongo, Burkina Faso - an educational campus in the steppe. This lent a new visual clarity and fascination to the idea of building with clay and other natural materials.  

By contrast, green high-end architecture is a sham in Kéré’s opinion. “These days, because the effects of climate change are creating ever more inhospitable conditions, there is a trend towards solutions that are economically unaffordable and ecologically disastrous,” says Kéré. “Our projects, on the other hand, focus not only on the ecological aspects of sustainability, but also on the social and economic dimensions.”  

Because of this approach, Kéré nowadays enjoys international acclaim. In 2022 he won the most coveted award for star architects, the Pritzker Prize: “Kéré’s work reminds us of the necessary struggle to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, as we strive to provide buildings and infrastructure for billions in need.” 

For its projects in Europe and the US, Kéré’s Berlin office finds the appropriate solution for every construction site, in terms of both material and design. Designs envisage a timber construction for a Waldorf school in the small Bavarian town of Weilheim and a vertical garden city for a university tower in Munich. Francis Kéré’s truly exemplary work is done in Sub-Saharan Africa, however, where he uses the “power of architecture as a tool for social transformation”.  

The nails from his school bench have thus continued to influence his philosophy of sustainability: “Regardless of wealth, we must be conscious of our environmental impact and strive to bring comfort and a sustainable future to all,” says Kéré – and practises what he preaches.