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  • 10/2/2017

World-renowned architect takes on Munich professorship

Prof. Francis Kéré accepts appointment at TU Munich

The world-renowned architect Francis Kéré will take over the newly created professorship for "Architectural Design and Participation" at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) Department of Architecture as of October 1, 2017. Kéré is one of the most important figures in contemporary socially-engaged architecture. Expert circles are hailing the appointment as an important step in a new direction.

Prof. Francis Kéré accepts appointment at TU Munich.
Prof. Francis Kéré accepts appointment at TU Munich. (Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM)

Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in Burkina Faso (West Africa). After completing his studies in Berlin he founded the architectural firm Kéré Architecture in 2005. In 2013 he was appointed to the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (Switzerland), after teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the USA. In addition, he has been a guest professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design since 2011. In his own "Kéré Foundation", Kéré works to promote the realization of sustainable architecture in his home region.

Kéré is known worldwide for his innovative designs in which he combines traditional building materials with modern engineering technologies. He won the prestigious "Aga Khan Award for Architecture" for his very first building project, a primary school in Gando (Burkina Faso). Since then he has won numerous other national and international prizes for his construction projects, which are regarded as trend-setting and constituting a new style for contemporary architecture. Among Kéré's designs is the temporary Serpentine Pavilion 2017 in London.

In Germany Kéré is known to the general public primarily for his designs for Christoph Schlingensief's Opera Village Africa ("Operndorf "). The TU Munich's architectural museum exhibited the architect's first monographic presentation, which attracted over 50,000 visitors by the end of March 2017.

As of October 1, 2017 Kéré will take over the newly created professorship for "Architectural Design and Participation" at the TUM Department of Architecture. In addition, he will serve as an expert in the Simple Building ("Einfach Bauen") research group, formed in 2013.

TUM President Wolfgang A. Herrmann sees the successful appointment as especially fortunate for the field of architectural education: "From now on, Professor Kéré, the internationally highly renowned protagonist of sustainable architecture will work in Munich making our university the epicenter of a new philosophy of architecture. This unique appointment, coinciding with the launch of the celebration commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding to the Technical University of Munich marks the beginning of a new era in the shining history of our founding faculty."

Highresolution pictures:

mediatum.ub.tum.de/1395009

Technical University of Munich

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