Diébédo Francis Kéré wins 2022 Pritzker Prize
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré scoops the 2022 Pritzker Prize for architecture
Diébédo Francis Kéré has been announced the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. The architect, educator and social activist, who was born in Gando, Burkina Faso and is currently based in Berlin, Germany, has distinguished himself in his field for his sensitive, clever and considered designs that offer inventive and important solutions to key topics dominating current global discourse – from sustainable architecture to social action and equity concerns, housing and more. Works such as the Startup Lions ICT Center, which scooped Best Public Building: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022, have been instrumental in making him a leading voice in architecture today – leading up to the coveted 2022 Pritzker Prize win, which makes him the first black architect to receive it.
Not that this means that the architect is ready to rest on his laurels. ‘I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk. It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality,’ says Kéré. ‘Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for us all.’
The Pritzker Prize panel praised Kéré’s work for its intelligent use of local materials, site-specific approach, connection with nature and support of marginalised communities.
‘Francis Kéré is pioneering architecture – sustainable to the Earth and its inhabitants – in lands of extreme scarcity. He is equally architect and servant, improving upon the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region of the world that is at times forgotten,’ said Thomas Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which supports the award. ‘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.’
Kéré’s portfolio features globally acclaimed projects – the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana (USA) and the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion in London (UK) are among them, while his breakthrough work was possibly the Gando Primary School in his native Burkina Faso, completed in 2008 in close collaboration with the local community. More buildings are underway, among them the Benin National Assembly, a typically nature-inspired design that is also intrinsically linked to local culture. His treatment of light was also praised by the jury, and is something Kéré recently explored through a visual series looking at light and architecture, created with photographer Iwan Baan during a trip to Burkina Faso.
Past Pritzker Architecture Prize winners make for a star-studded list, including, over the years, names such as Rem Koolhaas, Tadao Ando and Herzog & de Meuron. Last year’s award, the 2021 Pritzker Prize, was presented to French duo Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, for their sustainable and innovative approach, in particular to housing schemes.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
2024 RIBA National Awards: browse the list of worthy winners
The 2024 RIBA National Awards have been announced, comprising 26 projects across the UK
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
RIBA International Awards for Excellence 2024 honour 22 extraordinary buildings
The RIBA International Awards for Excellence 2024 winners span from an art museum defying fire and flood in Australia to a school full of holes and sustainable strategies in Iran
By Bridget Downing Published
-
The Activism Award 2024 goes to Studio Bark, architecture’s passionate champions
Architecture’s Activism Award 2024 has been announced, crowning Studio Bark as the winner from a shortlist of six nominees
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2024 RIBA Gold Medal recipient Lesley Lokko: ‘To be valued, understood and seen by your peers is rare’
Lesley Lokko receives the 2024 RIBA Gold Medal in a dedicated celebration in London, and talks to us about taking stock after a busy few years, and planning for the future
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The visual feast of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 is revealed
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 winners have been revealed – we celebrate the Architecture & Design category’s visual artists
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Riken Yamamoto wins 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Riken Yamamoto has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Prix Claude Parent launches as an award promoting architectural experimentation
The late architect’s imagination and innovation inspired Prix Claude Parent, the new design award launching this year to promote ‘transgressive’ architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published