On March 15, 2022, Francis Kéré was awarded the Pritzker Prize, otherwise known as the Nobel Prize for architecture, becoming the first African architect ever to obtain this prize.
His path to success was not smooth. When he was 7 years old, Francis Kéré left his family home to attend school because his village, Gando in Burkina Faso, did not have one of its own. Thirteen years later, he moved to Germany on a carpentry scholarship, with a dream of returning home one day to build the classrooms that didn’t exist then. Kéré achieved just that, becoming an architect and completing his first building, Gando Primary School, in 2001.
Casting mud like concrete and using local materials over imported ones, Kéré proposed a particular vision of structure that both strengthens communities and responds to the climate crisis. As such, Tuesday’s Pritzker Prize announcement is not only a nod of approval for him, but for “vernacular” architecture — a term used to describe designs that directly respond to local climates, materials and building traditions — itself. He also let the whole village participate in the design, encouraging them to construct the school, using local wood to press the stone floors and local clay to make bricks. The result was a welcoming structure with a “floating” roof that allows natural winds in a hot climate, and wall openings that bring light for students to learn even without electricity. Mr. Kéré showed the villagers that ideas to deal with climate or other challenges are always at hand.
Though, Kéré has since designed bigger projects, including many national-scale projects differing in size, his approach remains grounded in Gando. “That’s how I’m trying to translate the work I have started in Gando to structures that present national pride,” says the newly-awarded architect.
Kéré will officially be named Pritzker winner at a ceremony in London later this year. As with previous winner, he will be awarded a $ 100,000 grant and a bronze medal.
【小题1】What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?| A．Speak highly of Kéré’s efforts. |
| B．Introduce Kéré’ s childhood dream. |
| C．Bring a new topic for discussion. |
| D．Add some background information. |
| A．Economizing labour force. |
| B．Having a fancy appearance. |
| C．Highlighting sustainability. |
| D．Using imported building materials. |
| A．Creative and caring. |
| B．Optimistic and humorous. |
| C．Humble and ambitious. |
| D．Stubborn and adventurous. |
| A．An award speech. | B．A news report. | C．A novel. | D．A review. |
