Vernacular Architecture: A Revival

The Renaissance of Vernacular Architecture Recognized for incorporating traditional materials and resources from the region where a building is located into his designs, Diébédo Francis Kéré has produced innovative and sustainable works and become a leading figure in the renewed popularity of vernacular architecture. Kéré's architectural works have garnered global recognition, including the 2012 Global Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction and the Aga Khan Architecture Award (2004), won for his first designed building, Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso. Most recently in 2022, Kéré was deemed worthy of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, one of the world's most prestigious architecture awards established by the Hyatt Foundation since 1979 to honor architects, becoming the first African to receive this award. Kéré has been involved in various projects in many countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Togo, Sudan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom. Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in 1965 in Burkina Faso, a country where people do not have access to clean drinking water, electricity and infrastructure. The classroom where he studied in Tenkodogo, built of concrete blocks, lacked ventilation and light. Studying for hours with more than a hundred classmates in this classroom with harsh conditions, Kéré grasped early on the importance of constructed structures being suitable to the region's climate. He later studied at Berlin Technical University and founded the Kéré Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides public infrastructure for the Gando community in Burkina Faso.

Gando Primary School

Gando Primary School, Kéré's first work, was completed in 2001 while he was a student at Berlin Technical University. The primary school was built by the Gando people for use by that same community. In Burkina Faso, schools are built from concrete, which is costly to produce and requires high energy consumption, and this material is not suitable for local climate conditions because it causes excessive heating of interior spaces. Burkina Faso is located in the Sahel region, a transition zone that extends from the Atlantic coasts of West Africa in the west to the Red Sea in the east and separates the Sahara Desert from tropical savannas. Clay structures are a good alternative in this geography where wood and stone are difficult to find and the climate is harsh, and they are among the distinguishing features of Sahel architecture. [caption id="attachment_150361" align="aligncenter"] Photo / Image by GandoIT/ CC BY-SA 3.0[/caption] Inspired by this, Kéré chose to prefer using locally available resources and decided to build the primary school in rammed earth. Bricks made of a mixture of clay and cement were shaped on site and dried in the sun. Structurally durable and environmentally friendly, the brick mass can provide insulation inside even on the hottest days when temperatures typically exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Kéré's innovative design consists of a wide, elevated corrugated metal roof that protects the walls from rain and allows air to spread in the lower part of the building for cooling. The interior of the primary school is much cooler than traditional concrete school buildings. Gando Primary School can be considered a modern application of earth construction and embodies the characteristics of vernacular architecture. [caption id="attachment_150362" align="aligncenter"] Photo / Image by Helge Fahrnberger /CC BY-SA 3.0[/caption]

Gando Secondary School

Construction of the secondary school designed by Kéré began in May 2011. The new building complex was designed to accommodate approximately 1000 students. The design was inspired by traditional village houses in Burkina Faso and classrooms are arranged in a circular fashion forming a courtyard that protects from dust and sand brought by Harmattan winds. The western side of the structure is open, thus providing an innovative air cooling system by allowing natural ventilation and cool breezes to enter the region. The school is surrounded by an earthen mound on which trees are planted. Gando Secondary School has a design with a wide corrugated metal roof elevated above a clay ceiling. Air circulates between the ceiling and roof, heats up and rises, creating a suction current below. This causes cold air from underground pipes to rise and reduces room temperature by an estimated 6–8°C. With such easy-to-implement methods, the need for electricity in the school's construction and maintenance has been minimized. Burkina Faso's growing population and the widespread use of firewood as fuel in the country has led to a major deforestation problem. Over the past 15 years, it is estimated that 60% of trees in Burkina Faso have been cut down. Additionally, within reforestation programs, fast-growing eucalyptus trees are being planted, but they absorb large amounts of groundwater and negatively impact agricultural activities. Taking this problem into consideration, eucalyptus wood was used during the construction phase of Gando Secondary School and mango trees were planted in their place. Mango trees require less water than eucalyptus trees and also produce fruit and provide more shade. With this design, Kéré won the 2012 Global Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction. At a time when leading architects rely on materials sent from around the world, Kéré's designs emphasize the importance of local resources. The school buildings designed by Kéré require almost no energy to operate, which is a significant advantage in a remote region without electricity and water infrastructure. Kéré's work in Africa has not only accelerated the sustainable development process, but has also yielded very positive results for the local population by providing academic education to children and medical treatment to patients.   Sources : https://www.kerefoundation.com/en https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di%C3%A9b%C3%A9do_Francis_K%C3%A9r%C3%A9 https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/pritzker-prizewinner-diebedo-francis-keres-radical-approach https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/15/it-is-unbelievable-francis-kere-becomes-first-black-architectto-win-the-pritzker-prize https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/diebedo-franciskere#laureate-page-2421   Prepared by / Murat Soygür