Archinect - News2024-12-11T16:28:26-05:00https://archinect.com/news/article/150316809/pritzker-winner-francis-k-r-is-on-a-mission-to-tackle-misconceptions-about-africa-at-the-triennale-di-milano
Pritzker winner Francis Kéré is on a mission to tackle misconceptions about Africa at the Triennale di Milano Josh Niland2022-07-14T12:13:00-04:00>2024-10-25T04:07:38-04:00
<img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/72/726d5f338a0fe1191a2cb63902bf1b7b.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Speaking at the <a href="https://archinect.com/features/tag/917437/milan-triennale" target="_blank">Triennale di Milano</a>, which kicks off tomorrow in the Italian finance capital, Francis Kéré lamented the Western notion that his “unknown” home continent is a vast but homogeneous place when in reality, it is comprised of 54 countries and over 1,000 different language traditions. </p>
<p>“Instead of seeing it as a young, dynamic continent, Africa is still seen as a place that needs help,” the <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150302044/francis-k-r-named-2022-pritzker-prize-winner" target="_blank">2022 Pritzker Prize</a> winner <a href="https://qz.com/africa/2187163/francis-kere-at-the-triennale-milano-how-the-west-sees-africa/" target="_blank">told <em>Quartz</em></a> in a recent interview. “If you close your eyes to what matters to your neighbor, then you’ll never really know them.”<br></p>
<p>The Burkina Faso-born architect, who designed a 40-foot entrance tower and cafe seating area for the Triennale around traditional African gathering customs, said his goal at the exhibition is to introduce some nuance to that misconception via the inclusion of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150289055/francis-k-r-and-others-are-attempting-to-muddy-up-the-rising-use-of-concrete-in-west-africa" target="_blank">endemic materials</a> and <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150272032/francis-k-r-s-latest-project-brings-a-termite-inspired-design-to-the-kenyan-lowlands" target="_blank">building techniques</a> whose applications represent a massive amount of untapped potential.</p>
<figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/ba/bae79208dddb3aeb37ddd1317be47bf7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/ba/bae79208dddb3aeb37ddd1317be47bf7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Related on Archinect: <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150212151/mariam-kamara-on-the-higher-aspirations-of-african-architects" target="_blank">Mariam Kamara on the higher aspirations of ...</a></figcaption></figure>