In Dakar, the Goethe-Institut has more than just a new building. Encircling a baobab tree, it offers an open space for cultural education and exchange. It signals both respect for local traditions and boldness in global vision.
The Goethe-Institut has had a home in the Senegalese capital since the mid-1970s. Their new, sustainable building complex received backing from the United Nations.
Architect Francis Kere: Sustainability as a mindset
Seven years ago, standing on a sandy plot of land, Francis Kere drew the first sketches in his notebook.
In 2022, the internationally renowned architect from Burkina Faso became the first Black person to win the Pritzker Prize. He's also been awarded Japan's Praemium Imperiale.
For Dakar, he aspired to create a building that would meld modern architecture with an African culture of construction. To achieve that, he selected a millennia-old building material that keeps out heat and ensures a cool interior: clay. The idea was to mix Senegal's red soil with a minimal amount of cement and press it into bricks.
Airy design made from clay
Clay was a very conscious choice of material, Francis Kere told DW: "I modified the properties of the clay to produce uniform bricks, creating a building with a modern look." It was a material he knew people would be familiar with. "That's so important: People really feel honored and taken seriously," says Kere.
The architecture blends harmoniously into its environment — with shadowed façades, interconnecting spaces and natural ventilation. Only a few supporting elements were built with reinforced concrete.
Bioclimatic architecture in the heart of Dakar
Construction has been managed by Dakar-based architecture firm Worofila, founded by Nzinga Mboup and Nicolas Rondet. They've specialized in bioclimatic architecture, an approach which relies on passive cooling, cross ventilation and the use of local materials.
Courtyards promote air flow, while thick earthen walls retain their coolness, gradually releasing it in the heat. It's a time-tested tradition for construction in the Sahel region. "Here, I can feel the ocean breeze," architect Nzinga Mboup of Worofila says. "Building with earth has something very essential and powerful that reconnects the body with the material. It's not something that can be explained — you have to experience it for yourself."
In selecting earthen architecture for their new building, the Goethe-Institut is sending a signal to the world. The project proves that building sustainably at a large scale is possible — even while global conditions are growing ever more complex.
Dakar is one of Africa's fastest-growing metropolitan areas. With that growth come challenges: housing shortages, rising temperatures and rising CO₂ emissions from concrete buildings, often combined with energy-intensive air conditioning systems.
Speaking with DW, Ghanaian architectural scholar Lesley Lokko says sustainable alternatives are urgently needed. "Our continent is urbanizing faster than any other, we're facing incredible time pressure," she noted. "I want to use that pressure to our advantage. We don't have a hundred years. We need to think and act now."
Now, a new generation of architects is turning to earth as a construction material for the future. The new Goethe-Institut in Dakar serves as a model for sustainable construction. Its message is clear: The world's urban future could begin with the convergence of ancient knowledge, modern technology and social responsibility — and the red soil of Africa.
Following years of construction, the cultural institute is set to open in Dakar on April 18, 2026. The Goethe-Institut Senegal also oversees activities in The Gambia, Cape Verde and Guinnea-Bissau.
This article was originally written in German.
