In an effort to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of pioneering creative professionals as bridge-builders and leaders in society, each year, the World Economic Forum presents the Crystal Award. Ahead of its Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos, Switzerland, set to take place from January 15 to 19, the Forum announces the 2024 Crystal Award recipients. Amongst the stellar winners is the Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate of 2022, Burkinabè-German architect and educator Diébédo Francis Kéré. Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh, and producer, guitarist, composer and humanitarian Nile Rodgers are also the recipients of the 30^th annual Crystal Award. Kéré, along with the other winners, will be honoured at the opening session of the Forum’s Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos-Klosters on the evening of January 15, 2024.

The World Economic Forum engages with political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to mould global, regional and industry agendas. Established in 1971, the non-profit organisation is headquartered in Geneva and strives to foster cross-pollination between people—from all walks of life—who are committed to making positive change. Every year, the Crystal Award is presented at Davos by Hilde Schwab, chairwoman and co-founder of the World Economic Forum’s World Arts Forum. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 musters the world’s foremost leaders under the theme, Rebuilding Trust. The winners of the 2024 Crystal Award were named based on their ability to kindle connection and reflection on the human condition while spurring visions of the world that can defy the limitations of linear thinking.

Kéré, a dual citizen of Burkina Faso and Germany, studied at the Technical University of Berlin. In tandem with his studies, he established the Kéré Foundation in 1998 to buttress his dream of developing his home village. His architectural office Kéré Architecture, founded in 2005 in Berlin, has its roots in local materiality and sustainable design techniques. Working across disparate landscapes and geographies, the practice and its wide spectrum of projects have been recognised globally. The Pritzker Prize (2022), the Praemium Imperiale (2023) and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2004), awarded for his first building, the Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso, are some of the accolades that Kéré has amassed over the years. “Kéré receives the 2024 Crystal Award for his exemplary leadership in providing the Gando community with the means to create a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable future through projects that focus on education, health and the environment,” the official release reads.

Kéré, through his humane approach, has explored and evolved innovative construction modes that lie at the intersection of traditional architecture and building techniques, and modern methods. His judicious employment of local resources, local know-how and technologies yields holistic and sustainable architecture solutions—ensuring quality, luxury and comfort for all. Expanding his oeuvre, he is currently working on the Benin National Assembly, the Goethe-Institut Senegal in Dakar and a mausoleum for Burkinabè revolutionary Thomas Sankara in Ouagadougou. He has held professorships at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Swiss Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio. Since 2017, he has been a professor at TU Munich and Yale University (2019). “I have witnessed the power of architecture as a tool for social transformation, from laying the bricks for a school building in my native Gando to designing a new national parliament for Benin,” the African architect says. “Regardless of wealth, we must be conscious of our environmental impact and strive to bring comfort and a sustainable future to all,” he adds.

Kéré’s modus operandi is one of unwavering commitment to design and society—resting on the foundations of knowledge sharing and extending towards an afro-futurist vision. The novel is extricated from the archaic that has long been part of the cultural fabric. The contemporary architecture Kéré realises converses with traditional African architecture—in symbolism and in pragmatism—and strides towards one goal: sensitivity towards human needs, environments and culture. Working against all odds and limitations, the architect injects storytelling and poetry into the humble spaces he contrives—an ode to his upbringing and a gift to the global community. The 2024 Crystal award recognises this spearheading creative voice and its unparalleled contributions to the betterment of education, health and the environment through architecture.

STIR congratulates Diebedo Francis Kéré for this momentous honour.