Two stars of contemporary architecture explore the unique handling of light and heat in the architecture of Burkina Faso
Across the African continent, but especially in the sub-Saharan regions, the light has a particularly stark quality, which becomes most apparent in relation to older buildings. Before electricity, architecture was required to make use of the sun as a light source within a building, while also protecting its inhabitants from the heat. This resulted in vernacular architecture that features very few or small openings, which consequently render the inside of a building near pitch black, while the outside is illuminated by sunshine that bears down mercilessly.
On the initiative of the lighting technology company Zumtobel Group, photographer Iwan Baan (born 1975) and architect Francis Kéré (born 1965), winner of the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, set out to capture how the sun’s natural light cycle shapes vernacular architecture in Burkina Faso with little to no artificial light sources. They traveled to three exemplary locations: communal compounds in Gando; the main mosque of Bobo Dioulasso; and the terraced houses in Dano. Baan’s pictures are accompanied by architectural sketches by Francis Kéré, who himself grew up in this light environment and whose architecture is inspired by it. The stunning photographs are printed using a special technique, to give a sense of being immersed in the very light conditions documented here.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Francis Kéré & Iwan Baan: Momentum of Light'.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Wallpaper*
Ellie Stathaki
Picking up on the theme of contrasts, the team composed a publication that feels soft, yet powerful, revelling in its juxtapositions – highlighting the fascinating richness that tells the story of light and architecture in Burkina Faso.
New York Review of Books
Martin Filler
Baan’s highly atmospheric pictures of the country’s hand-formed mud structures, some of which are painted or incised with powerful graphic patterns, convey an almost palpable impression of his presence on the scene, as do Kéré’s reminiscences of the effect such structures had on defining his own architecture.
AIGA
Kimberly Varella
Amazing collaboration between architecture, photography, design, and printing!
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FORMAT: Pbk, 9.5 x 12.5 in. / 180 pgs / 108 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $85.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $117 ISBN: 9783037786864 PUBLISHER: Lars Müller Publishers AVAILABLE: 11/16/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by Lars Müller Publishers. Text by Francis Kéré.
Two stars of contemporary architecture explore the unique handling of light and heat in the architecture of Burkina Faso
Across the African continent, but especially in the sub-Saharan regions, the light has a particularly stark quality, which becomes most apparent in relation to older buildings. Before electricity, architecture was required to make use of the sun as a light source within a building, while also protecting its inhabitants from the heat. This resulted in vernacular architecture that features very few or small openings, which consequently render the inside of a building near pitch black, while the outside is illuminated by sunshine that bears down mercilessly.
On the initiative of the lighting technology company Zumtobel Group, photographer Iwan Baan (born 1975) and architect Francis Kéré (born 1965), winner of the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, set out to capture how the sun’s natural light cycle shapes vernacular architecture in Burkina Faso with little to no artificial light sources. They traveled to three exemplary locations: communal compounds in Gando; the main mosque of Bobo Dioulasso; and the terraced houses in Dano. Baan’s pictures are accompanied by architectural sketches by Francis Kéré, who himself grew up in this light environment and whose architecture is inspired by it. The stunning photographs are printed using a special technique, to give a sense of being immersed in the very light conditions documented here.
