Francis Kéré, Hon. FAIA, founder and principal of Berlin-based Kéré Architecture, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture. Since 1966, the University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello have presented the award to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the architecture profession. Traditionally, the medal is presented during an April 13 ceremony, honoring the third president's birthday, but Kéré will receive this year's medal "in absentia," according to the Foundation's website, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Born in Gando, Burkina Faso, Kéré was trained as a carpenter and studied at the Technische Universität in Berlin, earning his architectural degree in 2004. During his studies, Kéré organized a fund to construct a primary school in his hometown, completing the project in 2004 as his diploma project. After graduation, Kéré founded his eponymous firm, winning the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his first completed project. In the nearly two decades since its founding, Kéré has grown the firm into a global presence and gained a reputation as one of the "world’s most distinguished contemporary architects, celebrated for his pioneering communal approach to design and his commitment to sustainable materials, as well as modes of construction," according to the Foundation's press release.
“Beginning with Francis Kéré’s original work in Gando and throughout his acclaimed career, he has not only taught the world that architecture and education are for everyone, but also has exemplified how architecture can build capacity in communities, foster environmental and cultural resilience, and inspire creativity while immeasurably serving the public good," said Ila Berman, dean of the UVA School of Architecture, in a statement applauding Kéré's medal.
Kéré's most prominent works include the Burkina Faso National Assembly in Ouagadougou; the Léo Surgical Clinic & Health Centre in Léo, Burkina Faso (2014); IT University in Burkina Faso; the Lycée Schorge Secondary School in Koudougou, Burkina Faso (2016); the Serpentine Pavilion in London (2017); and Xylem, a gathering pavilion for the Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Mont. (2019).
Kéré joins the prestigious ranks of previous Thomas Jefferson Foundation medalists, which includes the 2018 winner, British architect David Adjaye, Hon. FAIA, of Adjaye Associates, 2019 winners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANNA, and 2020 winners Marion Weiss, FAIA, and Michael Manfredi, AIA, of Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism.
