Francis Kéré: Burkinabe architect to design top London attraction – Watch

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Francis Kéré: Burkinabe architect to design top London attraction – Watch

9:01 CAT | 22 Feb 2017

Serpentine Galleries Twitter

A star architect from Burkina Faso will become the first African to design the prestigious Serpentine Pavillion in London’s Hyde Park this year.

Diwbedo Francis Kere’s pavillion design (rendered in tweets, above and below) envisaged a “bold, innovative structure that brings his characteristic sense of light and life to the lawns of Kensington Gardens”, the Serpentine Galleries said, announcing the commission.

A quarter of a million people visited last year’s pavillion, designed by Denmark’s Bjarke Ingels Group.

In his statement for the gallery, Kere explains what lies behind his architectural philosophy:

“My experience of growing up in a remote desert village has instilled a strong awareness of the social, sustainable and cultural implications of design. I believe that architecture has the power to surprise, unite, and inspire all while mediating important aspects such as community, ecology and economy.”

Diébédo Francis Kéré (born 1965) is an award-winning architect based in Berlin, Germany at Kéré Architecture. Born in the village of Gando in Burkina Faso, he was the first child in the village to be sent to school. Since qualifying as an architect at the Technical University of Berlin he has been designed award winning projects in Burkina Faso, Mali, Yemen and China, including the construction of a number of school buildings in the village of his birth. He is a tenured professor at Harvard University and founder of the Association Schulbausteine für Gando.

Source: BBC / Wikipedia