达喀尔歌德学院总部大楼丨塞内加尔达喀尔

Berlin studio Kéré Architecture has used compacted-earth blocks to create a headquarters for the non-profit Goethe-Institut in Dakar, Senegal.

Set next door to the Musée Léopold Sédar Senghore, which is dedicated to former Senegal president Leopold Sedar Senghor, the two-storey building was largely built from perforated bricks.

It was created as the first permanent building commissioned by the Goethe-Institut, a German teaching and cultural organisation.

Kéré Architecture has completed the Goethe-Institut in Dakar

"My first building was a school," said Kéré Architecture founder Diébédo Francis Kéré. "I have always understood that where people come to learn, they also come to meet, and where people meet is where culture is made."

"The Goethe-Institut exists to create spaces that facilitate meeting and learning across the world. Designing their first-ever purpose-built space is a responsibility I take seriously," he continued.

"In Dakar, one of the great cultural cities of the African continent, I wanted this building to be open and safe, rooted and flexible, and very much alive."

The main block contains an auditorium and classrooms

The institution's main L-shaped block is intended to evoke the shape of the tree canopies that once stood on the site and was designed to host public events, including talks, exhibitions and concerts, as well as language courses.

It frames a small garden space where an existing large tree was retained and will be used for gatherings.

It surrounds a large tree

Several large openings on the ground floor provide access to the main auditorium, cafeteria and library, while arched openings lead to the staircase for the upper floors.

The institute's classrooms and offices are located on the upper floor with a rooftop terrace above.

The building's load-bearing walls were constructed from locally sourced compacted-earth blocks, along with the perforated screens on the upper floor, which were designed to continue the theme of openness.

Sheltering the rooftop terrace is a steel canopy designed to mirror the tree canopy.

Arches open up to a stair

Alongside the main building, two smaller structures were also constructed from compacted-earth blocks with perforated sections.

One acts as an entrance block, while the other contains a kitchen for outdoor events.

The building was designed to have a feeling of openness

Studio founder Kéré won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2022. Elsewhere, Kéré Architecture is currently designing the Las Vegas Museum of Art and the Biblioteca dos Saberes in Rio de Janeiro, which will also feature facades of perforated brick.

The photography is by Iwan Baan.

Project credits:

Architect: Kéré Architecture, Diébédo Francis Kéré Project architects: Jaime Herraiz Martínez, Andrea Maretto Contributors: Fabiola Büchele, Léon Bührer, Javier Mola Cardenes, Linda Franken, Juan Carlos Zapata Collaborators: Worofila, André Poretti, Delta Ingenieurs Conseils, Dial Consulting, Scat Internationale, Elementerre, Matthias Middelkamp Client: Goethe Institut