Francis Kéré's 'Building Stories' Art Edition Features Signed Compressed Earth Bricks

Architect Francis Kéré, winner of the 2022 Pritzker Prize, has released a limited Art Edition of his book 'Building Stories' (No. 1–100), each copy accompanied by a signed compressed earth block (CEB) brick. The edition, produced by BC Materials in a series of 100 units, uses clay and sand from Germany and Belgium, stabilized with a small percentage of cement. Each brick is handcrafted, unique, signed by Kéré, and stamped with a smiling sun symbolizing his environmental commitment. The brick echoes the traditional building material of his native Burkina Faso and his first project, the Gando Primary School, where he reinterpreted local clay using CEB method for durability. The book itself is a first-person narrative of Kéré's practice, featuring 26 key projects, including the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, school projects in Gando, national assembly designs for Burkina Faso and Benin, and the recent Las Vegas Museum of Art. The volume is designed by Amsterdam-based graphic designer Irma Boom and includes unpublished sketches, photographs, and drawings. Kéré's architecture emphasizes community participation; as he states, 'The easiest way to transmit knowledge is by getting people involved in the process.' The Building Brick closes a circle: early donors to the Gando school received a brick as thanks, and this edition reaffirms the importance of community and building together.