Diebedo Francis Kere

Kéré is a German-trained architect from the small West African town of Gando in Burkina Faso. After working as a carpenter in Ouagadougou he won a scholarship to apprentice in Munich. He then attended the Technische Universität in Berlin where he earned his diploma in Architecture and Engineering. While still a student, Kéré established his charitable foundation Schulbausteine für Gando (Bricks for Gando) in 1998. His philosophy of providing more with less fosters innovation and resourcefulness in his practice, using local materials, local knowledge, and local technologies to create holistic and sustainable design solutions. Since founding Kéré Architecture in 2005, his work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards such as the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, the BSI Swiss Architectural Award, the Marcus Prize, the Global Holcim Gold Award.