Though new technologies have expanded architecture?s possibilities, the things we expect from structures have not changed: the ideal construction is still basically a roof supported by posts or walls. Material is one of the themes through which the Chicago Architecture Biennial is highlighting history and the ways it can be used as a reference point to come up with new ways of producing architecture. Old materials, sometimes seen as primitive by contemporary architects, can still be used to create new forms of architecture. This can be observed in the work of three architects who were invited to participate in this year?s biennial.
The Lycée Schorge Secondary School in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, by Kéré Architecture marries vernacular materials with modernity and elegant, local style. In plan, the 17,868-square-foot school (built in 2016) is a radial organization of nine solids around a central courtyard. A screen of vertical wooden limbs forms the rhythmic exterior of each volume, the majority of which are used as classrooms, giving the school a well-ventilated and transparent façade. The walls facing the courtyard were built with bricks hewn and formed from laterite stone. Once laterite is brought to the surface, it hardens, providing the walls with extra strength. The classrooms each have an off-white, curvilinear ceiling made of concrete and plaster, which maximize ventilation and enhance natural illumination. Above the ceiling, wind towers help funnel air into the cl...