On Tuesday, organizers of the Pritzker Prize, often known as the “Nobel of architecture,” revealed Kéré as its 2022 winner.
The first African architect to claim the award in its 43-year history, Kéré made the achievement largely involving schools, health centers and community facilities—projects that might once have been considered too modest for a prize that has historically honored the designers of iconic buildings. Speaking to CNN shortly after hearing the news, he credited his success to his community in Gando.
“This is not just a prize for myself,” he said on the phone from Berlin. “Without having the courage to go back home Gando, and to get my people to join me on the journey to build the school that began my career, this would never have been possible.”
Casting mud like concrete (混凝土) and preferring local materials to imported ones, Kéré proposes a vision of architecture that both strengthens communities and responds to the climate crisis. As such, the Pritzker Prize announcement is not only a nod of acceptance for him, but for “vernacular” architecture—a term used to describe designs that directly respond to local climates, materials and building traditions.
Though Kéré has since designed bigger projects, his approach remains grounded in his belief established in Gando. Knowing the village had no access to electricity or air conditioning, he proposed strategically placing windows that allow indirect sunlight to enter while generating airflow that serves as natural ventilation (通风).
But despite working closely with local craftspeople (工匠), Kéré said he faced disagreement with his choice of materials. The use of traditional clay bricks, which offer natural cooling, was not entirely welcomed by villagers, who thought the structure would not resist the rainy season as well as glass and steel.
“There is still a feeling that everything that’s local is primitive (原始的),” he said. “Let’s say 90% of people in Gando use clay, but they see it as a ‘poor person’s material.’ So, when they have more money to spend, they try to look for other materials.”
“The more local materials you use, the better you can promote the local economy and build local knowledge, which also makes people proud,” Kéré added.
28. What can we learn about the Pritzker Prize?
A.It was founded in 1943. | B.Its first winner is an African. |
C.Its aim is to encourage modest works. | D.It usually favors iconic buildings. |
29. What is special about Kéré’s design?
A.Breaking with traditions. |
B.Applying imported material. |
C.Making full use of local materials. |
D.Generating electricity from the sun. |
30. What challenge did Kéré meet?
A.The villagers preferred modern materials. |
B.The villagers were short of steel and glass. |
C.The local materials couldn’t resist the heat. |
D.The local materials were not environmentally friendly. |
31. What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Local materials promoted local economy. |
B.An African architect won the 2022 Pritzker Prize. |
C.Kéré’s design became the fashion trend of architecture. |
D.Kéré and his community worked together to cope with climate crisis. |