@ URBAN ZINTEL

Diébédo Francis Kéré has unveiled plans for the Museum Ehrhardt, a 14,000-square-foot institution dedicated to photography and contemporary art in Plüschow, northern Germany. The project marks Kéré’s first cultural project in Germany and first museum building in Europe.

The building has been designed to integrate with its surroundings, featuring a green roof and the use of natural materials including wood and clay. It features an 80m-long rammed earth wall running along the centre axis of the building, which will naturally regulate the humidity and temperature inside the museum, as well as defining the exhibition spaces. Above it, the building’s timber structure has been designed for future dismantling and reuse.

Founded by Francis Kéré in 2005, Kéré Architecture is known for its innovative use of sustainable, local materials and local knowledge. Museum Ehrhardt employs regional techniques with wood and clay construction; Kéré Architecture has also worked closely with Austrian firm HK Architekten on the timber design.

“I’m excited that our very first museum building in Europe will soon be a reality,” said Kéré. “In Plüschow there are few places for people to come together. I hope the Museum Ehrhardt will have a positive influence on the region and bring inspiration and connection to the lives of people in this small community.”

The announcement follows the recent unveiling of the UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects, designed by Francis Kéré. Harnessing 3D modelling and virtual reality, the UNESCO Virtual Museum brings together cultural objects stolen from around the world, digitally reconstituted and presented with their stories. The platform combines educational narratives, community testimonies, and case studies of successful restitutions, highlighting the importance of cultural identity, good practice, and international cooperation.

Speaking to TV5 Monde Afrique about the crossover between designing in the real and virtual world, Francis Kéré said: “Being an architect is about creating space. It’s about dreaming; about inspiring people.”

Born in Gando, Burkino Faso and based in Berlin, Germany, Francis Kéré is an educator and social activist as well as an architect. High profile projects include the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion, in London, UK; the National Park of Mali, Mali; and the Public Library of Gando, Burkino Faso. 

Being an architect is about creating space. It’s about dreaming; about inspiring people.

In 2022, when he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Francis Kéré said: “I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk.

“It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality.

“Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury and everyone deserves comfort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for us all.”