Original featurePritzker Prize winner Francis Kéré designs his first permanent building in Europe, a five-story timber kindergartenBuilding Design + Construction · 26 October 2026 →

Materiality and Mass Timber Construction

The five-storey structure relies extensively on engineered timber, showcasing Kéré’s ongoing commitment to sustainable materials that lower embodied carbon. Rather than relying on conventional concrete frames, the design utilises local wood species, bringing tactile warmth and natural acoustic dampening to educational spaces.

The facade is structured to manage solar gain passively while maintaining deep visual connections to the surrounding neighbourhood. By employing prefabricated timber elements, the studio achieved precise assembly tolerances while supporting regional forestry economies.

Pedagogical Spaces and Urban Integration

Kéré’s practice is celebrated for public and educational works that prioritise human scale, notably his seminal projects in Burkina Faso. This European kindergarten adapts those principles of porous, communal gathering spaces to a multi-level vertical typology.

Classrooms are arranged to foster collaboration rather than isolation, with wide circulation zones doubling as play and interaction areas. Natural light penetrates deep into the floor plates, creating a bright, calm interior environment tailored for young children.

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