Diébédo Francis Kéré

“Many of Kéré's... works are... in Africa.., including the Republic of {{w|Benin}}, {{w|Burkino Faso}}, Mali, {{w|Togo}}, Kenya, {{w|Mozambique}}... and Sudan. Pavilions and installations and have been created in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.”

“Kéré’s designs are laced with symbolism and his works... are influenced by his upbringing and experiences in Gando. The {{w|West Africa}}n tradition of communing under a sacred tree to exchange ideas, narrate stories, celebrate and assemble, is recurrent throughout.”

“A poetic expression of light is consistent throughout Kéré’s works. Rays of sun filter into buildings, courtyards and intermediary spaces, overcoming harsh midday conditions to offer places of serenity or gathering. The concrete roof of Gando Primary School Library was poured around a grid of traditional clay pots, that... left openings allowing heat to escape while circular beams of natural light could... illuminate the interiors.”

“Startup Lions Campus... uses local quarry stone and stacked towers for passive cooling to minimize the air conditioning... Burkina Institute of Technology... is composed of cooling clay walls... were cast in-situ to accelerate the... Overhanging eucalyptus... were repurposed to line the angled corrugated metal roofs, which protect the building during the country’s brief rainy reason, and rainwater is collected underground to irrigate mango plantations on the premises. A facade... of eucalyptus wood surrounds the elliptical building, creating flexible outdoor spaces that emit light...”

“Building contemporary school institutions, health facilities, professional housing, civic buildings and public spaces, oftentimes in lands where resources are fragile and fellowship is vital, the expression of his works exceeds the value of a building itself.”

“Francis Kéré empowers and transforms communities through the process of architecture. Through his commitment to social justice and engagement, and intelligent use of local materials to connect and respond to the natural climate, he works in marginalized countries... where architecture and infrastructure are absent.”

“"Francis Kéré is pioneering architecture—sustainable to the earth and its inhabitants—in lands of extreme scarcity. He is equally architect and servant, improving upon the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region... that is at times forgotten... Through buildings that demonstrate beauty, modesty, boldness and invention, and by the integrity of his architecture and geste, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this Prize."”

“He's determined that despite a minimum of resources and adverse conditions, he'll find a unique aesthetic for Africa. That's a promise he's made to his country.”

“Kéré developed his own recipe for making bricks, 8 buckets of cement added to 92 buckets of clay. This mixture makes his building resistant to rain and termites. He learned to work with clay at an old brick work factory in Germany.”

“Kéré doesn't just want to copy architectural styles in Europe, but to observe and learn, wherever he happens to be.”

“His office studio in Berlin is a multicultural laboratory, and his second home.”

“His school, created from mud bricks, has won him global fame.”

“Kéré's biggest project is the Opera Village in Burkina Faso, a dream of the late artist, {{w|Christoph Schlingensief}}, whose widow Aino Laberenz is still working with Kéré.”

“Kéré works with simple materials, designing elegant efficient buildings using resources available locally, and he develops new ideas, like... [the] double roof that allows the air to circulate and cost efficiently cool the school.”

“Diébédo Francis Kéré left his homeland over 20 years ago, and he's been on the move ever since. He has architectural projects all over the world, but those closes to his heart are in his homeland, {{w|Burkina Faso}}.”

“Later on the school was so successful.., but with the growing success of my architecture there was still a struggle to get the money, and friends... started six years ago to say.., "Francis, it's important that you connect... the name of your foundation with the success of your architecture. ...Why you don't call it Kéré Foundation?" and so we call it Kéré Foundation. ...There's still a struggle, but I have... client[s] that are really looking forward to support this structure... to share my work... to my fellow Africans... [and] to the world.”

“Now you hear a big word, "sustainability"... Honestly.., I was just doing my work, and then... good people realized... there is more than just words around what he is doing. There is a depth, and that saved me. I didn't need... to really use the word properly, but to build, and to build with the people and to use the resources I believe will open a future to my community...”

“I can see the work of an architect as those of a sociologist. ...You're trying to shape people['s] life. ...It is in a house where you share intimacy. This is where we rest.., where we spend most of our time. ...[W]e work in buildings. ...[T]he role of an architect is caring. Shortly said, [it] is caring for humanity... [C]aring means to think about solutions where you could create comfort, for people to really stay.., spend their time, and fulfill their dreams.”

“I left... my family when I was 7, so... I was thinking... what can I do to keep the kids home, by their community, by their families, but... to attend education. Education is so highly needed, and so... after I got the scholarship and I started to study architecture, I grew the idea... solve this... creating the school.., but the school should be within the reality of the people: the social context, the economical context and the cultural context. ...[P]eople used to work together. If it come[s] to building, you need the entire community, and that['s] what I've done.”

“I feel very very privileged. I created the school as a student... because... 3 years after I start to study architecture in Berlin I suddenly feel I know a lot... I will go back and work with the community. ...[T]he school has been selected as one of the 21 most influential buildings in the world since the Second World War.”