page_title: Diébédo Francis Kéré
section_title: Gando Teachers' Housing
hierarchical_section_title: Diébédo Francis Kéré / Projects in Gando / Gando Teachers' Housing
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Teachers' housing in Gando, Burkina Faso. Designed by Francis Kéré.
context_page_description: Diébédo Francis Kéré was born April 10, 1965 in Gando, Burkina Faso and studied at the Technical University of Berlin. Parallel to his studies, he established the Kéré Foundation e.V., and in 2005 he founded Kéré Architecture. His architectural practice has been recognized nationally and internationally with awards including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his first building, the Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso, and the Global Holcim Award 2012 Gold. Kéré has undertaken projects in varied countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Germany, the United States, Kenya, and Uganda. In 2017 the Serpentine Galleries commissioned him to design the Serpentine Pavilion in London. He has held professorships at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Yale School of Architecture and the Swiss Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio. In 2017 he accepted the professorship for "Architectural Design and Participation" at TU München.
context_section_description: The housing situation for the teaching staff in the countryside is an important challenge for the whole country. Teachers often refuse to leave the cities for the countryside, since accommodation is basic and in short supply. Long commutes and bad roads can delay teachers, hampering the education of the pupils. This was a problem for Gando in 2001.
  To resolve this problem, teachers’ accommodation was built on the school premises in 2003. The first aim of the teachers’ housing project was to develop an environmentally-friendly and sustainable housing concept, adapted to people's needs and financial situation. The houses had to offer a reasonable amount of comfort in order to attract teachers, and to give them a pleasant working environment.
  The housing concept is based on a simple unit built in the traditional style. It can be constructed as a single unit for one person, or as several units which can be combined for families. From the start, the inhabitants of Gando took an active part in every step of this project: they not only observed but also participated in the development of construction techniques. The construction materials consisted exclusively of local resources in order to allow the villagers to adapt or further develop the houses if they wished to.
  Climate is a decisive factor in the methods and materials used. Clay walls and the adobe roof keep the houses cool and regulate the room temperature. This technique works so successfully that the houses have acquired the name “wonderful fridges”, a great compliment for a house in Burkina Faso.
caption: Kéré, Teachers' accommodation in Gando
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