DIÉBÉDO FRANCIS KÉRÉ remembers sweltering in a 104-degree classroom in his West African hometown of Gando, Burkina Faso. “You will agree with me that this is not a nice place to train people,” he says. Kéré designed what’s known as a passive ventilation system for a new high school in Gando, promoting a vacuum effect with perforated ceilings and lattice-supported tin roofs, thereby sucking out the hot air. The project has won global awards for its function and its stunning looks. “It’s the same thing when someone wears a hat to protect himself from the sun, and the hat just happens to fit him well.”
Timeline
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2004
Graduates from the Berlin Technical University
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2004
Wins the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his primary school in Gando
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2005
Founds Kéré Architecture
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2011
Receives Marcus Prize from Marcus Corporation/University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
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2012
Wins the Global Gold Holcim Award for his secondary school in Gando