Architect Francis Kéré - a master of simplicity

With his first work, the elementary school in his home village of Gando, Kéré won the renowned Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004. The pressed blocks of earth he used in the structure absorb heat and lower the temperature inside. The large roof made of steel and concrete provides shade and allows air to circulate between the roof and the ceiling.

The Lycée Schorge, a secondary school in Burkina Faso, follows Kéré's principals of ecological building, according to which he implements local materials and techniques. Kéré also insists on hiring local workers who employ simple tools. That way he ensures that his buildings are rooted in the local culture. Some 350 pupils now attend the Lycée Schorge.

In Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, education is expensive and illiteracy is widespread. That is one of the reasons why Kéré wanted to make a statement with his modern Lycée Schorge building.

Here is another view of the Lycée Schorge. The students spend their breaks in the sunny courtyard, which is tucked in the semi-circle formed by the curved side of the building. Here, the shade provided by the overhanging roof is also visible. The construction combines German engineering with African handicraft. Kéré studied architecture in Berlin.

Just recently, Francis Kéré's school in Gando was extended. The building's roof is specifically designed to keep the interior cool in the African heat. Today, the architect manages project the world over - from Burkina Faso to India. He is also increasingly in demand in Europe. In Berlin, he has been commissioned to turn a disused airplane hangar into a mobile theater.

Francis Kéré seeks to combine the cultural influences of his home country, Burkina Faso, with his academic experience at the Technical University in Berlin. The current exhibition at Munich's Neue Pinakothek museum, "Radically Simple," pays tribute to the 52-year-old's extraordinary talent among today's architects.

The interdisciplinary opera village project in Burkina Faso was the vision of performance artist and director Christoph Schlingensief before he died of cancer in 2010. Kéré built the intercultural center near the capital city of Ouagadougou. Pictured is the health clinic at the facility.

The architecture museum of the Technical University in Munich is housed in the Pinakothek der Moderne. The differences between this building and Kéré's designs couldn't be more drastic. He is a master of simplicity. "Radically Simple," an exhibition of his work, runs from November 17 2016 through February 26, 2017.