‘We don’t need air con’: how Burkina Faso builds schools that stay cool in 40C heat

Gando primary school, Diébédo Francis Kéré’s first construction project after finishing his studies in Germany. Photograph: Siméon Duchoud/Kere Architecture

If architects are people who like to think their way around challenges, building schools in Burkina Faso must be the dream job. The challenges, after all, are legion: scorching temperatures in the high seasons, limited funds, materials, electricity and water, and clients who are vulnerable and young. How do you keep a building cool under a baking sun when there is no air conditioning?

Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré grew up in the small village of Gando and knows the challenges well. He and other architects such as Albert Faus are finding ingenious ways to use cheap materials to make sure that the schools and orphanages that they have built around Burkina Faso are cool, welcoming places.