{"product_id":"francis-kere-building-stories-taschen","title":"Francis Kéré: Building Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"read-more__description--subtitle\"\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAn intimate first-person account of Kéré's most influential architectural works.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"read-more__description--content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fascinating testimony of Francis Kéré reveals the ideas and values driving his \u003cb\u003esocially committed architectural practice\u003c\/b\u003e. It presents \u003cb\u003e26 key projects\u003c\/b\u003e, illustrated with numerous \u003cb\u003esketches, photographs, and unpublished drawings\u003c\/b\u003e, in a beautifully designed volume by the Amsterdam-based graphic design studio Irma Boom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHighlighted works include \u003cb\u003ethe Serpentine Pavilion, the Gando school projects, the national assembly designs of Burkina Faso and Benin, the Thomas Sankara Memorial, and the recently unveiled Las Vegas Art Museum\u003c\/b\u003e. Kéré’s voice naturally moves between poetry and pragmatism. From technical aspects like cutting bricks \u003ci\u003ein situ\u003c\/i\u003e to the political and environmental forces shaping his designs, he \u003cb\u003eattends to both craftsmanship and large-scale reflection\u003c\/b\u003e. One chapter subtitle sums it up: “How to channel imagination within the grid of rules (without stopping it from flying).”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Kéré, architecture is a driver of learning and exchange that is created collectively and not imposed from above. The architect is never the star but a facilitator of a common purpose. His designs are rooted in vernacular knowledge and non-elitist values, yet fully \u003cb\u003ecommitted to the urgent realities of our time\u003c\/b\u003e, from climate change and overpopulation to the fragile infrastructures of young democracies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReading this book is like peeking into Kéré’s personal notebook, with his scribbled notes alongside the works. It concludes with two reflective texts — one by the \u003cb\u003eGhanaian-Scottish academic and novelist Lesley Lokko\u003c\/b\u003e and another by \u003cb\u003ehis mentor Juhani Pallasmaa\u003c\/b\u003e — that place his practice within a broader cultural, ethical, and architectural conversation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taschen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57189294342488,"sku":"LIB-FR-TA-927","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/8464\/0856\/files\/FRANCIS_KERE_VA_GB_3D_08099_931d6cc8-688b-4748-9ff1-171f06754d70.jpg?v=1777247310","url":"https:\/\/us.plasticbooks.com\/en\/products\/francis-kere-building-stories-taschen","provider":"Plastic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}