Lifestyle/Culture
Pritzker Prize 2022: Francis Kéré Becomes First African to Win 'Nobel of Architecture' By Oscar Holland
WHEN HE WAS 7 years old, Francis Kéré left his family home to attend school because his village, Gando in Burkina Faso, did not have one of its own. Thirteen years later he moved to Germany on a carpentry scholarship with a dream of returning home one day to build the classrooms that didn't then exist. Kéré achieved just that, becoming an architect and completing his first building, Gando Primary School, in 2001. The project proved to be a springboard for his career and still guides his ethos today. Having further transformed his village and other communities across Africa with his socially minded designs, the 56-year-old has now been named among the greats of his profession. On Tuesday, March 15th, organizers of the Pritzker Prize, often dubbed the "Nobel of
Francis Architecture," revealed Kéré as Credit: Courtesy Erik its 2022 laureate. The first African architect to claim i the th award d in i its 43-year history, Kéré achieved the feat with a portfolio consisting largely of schools, health centers and community facilities -- projects that might once have been considered too modest for a prize that has historically honored the designers of iconic buildings. Speaking to CNN shortly after hearing the news, he credited his success to his community in Gando. "This is not just a prize for myself," he said on the phone from Berlin, Germany, where he headquartered his firm, Kéré Architecture. "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
Gando Primary School, pictured after Kéré completed an extension in 2008. © courtesy Francis Kere/Pritzker Architecture Prize
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