Francis Kéré 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate

The 2022 laureate of, the Pritzker Architecture Prize - architecture’s highest honor - is Diébédo Francis Kéré, Burkina Faso-born architect and educator.

Francis Kéré is the 51st winner of the award founded in 1979, and the first black architect to ever obtain this award. He works mostly in rural Africa, using local materials and building contemporary facilities whose value exceeds the structure itself, serving and stabilizing the future of entire communities.

“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,” explains the official statement of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Known for involving community in the construction process of its buildings, Kéré considers local economy, migration, culture and equity.

" How do you create comfort inside a classroom?" says Francis Kéré: "This is key in my work, a fundamental element.

"Gando is a very poor place, similarly to many other places, and some people cannot afford electricity. Sometimes there’s even no connection to the public grid of energy. What I do is to go passive, and this means basically getting the building to breathe and ventilate itself. You achieve this by creating airflow.

"My solution was to build to scarcity where there’s no resources to pay for electricity, but what I’m doing is not just for poor people or poor regions.

"Even a wealthy country nowadays cannot afford wasting energy at all. Passive solutions are great.

"We use local materials in smart and innovative ways to respond to heat, rainwater, and other climatic conditions unique to African communities.