Chair of Architectural Design and Participation

The Chair of Architectural Design and Participation, led by Prof. Francis Kéré is concerned with designing for the community, as well as with participatory building processes, material and spatial studies. Projects develop a sensitivity to contextual factors from which invention can arise.

Conceptual thinking combines with a hands-on approach to create site-specific solutions, acknowledging the importance of local resources and the needs of the community.

We explore the social role of architecture, encouraging students to learn how to connect thinking and making. On the one hand, we try to ground them in reality. On the other hand, we encourage them to be visionaries and to have strong ideas— to go beyond the thinking and to foster the thinking.