‘public library in gando’ by diebedo francis kere, gando, burkina faso all images courtesy of diebedo francis kere
as a recently completed humanitarian design by berlin-based practice diébédo francis kéré, the ‘public library in gando’ is a freestanding addition to the primary school the firm completed some years before (covered here by designboom) – one of the first educational buildings in the region. a rigid orthogonal concrete ring and frame structure extends the facade of the adjacent institution and is held up by rhythmically placed eucalyptus columns, never before used for architectural purposes, that define a buffer zone between the exterior and interior. an elliptical brick wall offset from the center line of the roof frame constitutes the main protected library space. many hand-made clay pots were carried into town and cut into sections, poured in place into the canopy to fill the inside with a multiplicity of diverse circular openings for light.
site
interior private reading space
interior public reading space
interior main space with light circles
community carrying pots for construction
children and adults alike help to prepare the pots on site
once cut, the pots are transported to the structure
construction of the roof
placing the pots and pouring them into place
floor plan / level 0
roof plan
section
section
original rendering with corrugated metal panel roof
original rendering
