Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
, France) is a
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages architect. Her designs focus on open living spaces and make use of locally produced materials available to African communities: cement, recycled metal and raw earth.
Biography
Mariam Issoufou Kamara was born in 1979.
Kamara's first career ambition was to become a computer engineer, for which she earned a
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
bachelor's degree in technical computing (2001) and then a master's degree in computer science from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
(2004). She worked in the computing field for seven years before deciding to change careers and become an architect to fulfill her teenage ambition.
In 2013, Kamara earned her master's degree in architecture from the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
. Her thesis, ''Mobile Loitering'', focuses on gender issues in Niger's public spaces. Her master's work was exhibited at the
Triennale di Milano
The Triennale di Milano is a design and art museum in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the Palazzo dell'Arte, which was designed by Giovanni Muzio and built between 1931 and 1933; construction was fina ...
in 2014 at the ''Africa Big Chance Big Change'' exhibition.
Professional career
She co-founded the architectural group ''united4design'' (2013) while still living in the United States, and on her return to Niger she established an architecture and research firm called ''Atelier Masomi'' (2014), which focuses on open living spaces in local architecture.
The international collective of architects participating in ''United4design'' worked on projects in the United States,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages
In 2017, she taught urban studies as an adjunct associate professor at
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in Rhode Island.
In 2022, Kamara was appointed as Full Professor of Architecture Heritage and Sustainability at
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
in Switzerland.
Major projects
''Niamey 2000''
Her first major project was ''Niamey 2000'', an apartment complex built in 2016 and designed in collaboration with Yasaman Esmaili, Elizabeth Golden and Philip Sträter. The project addresses the spatial problems linked to the concrete structure of Kamara's childhood home built in Niamey in the 1960s.
The result is four structures made by combining earth and cement fitted together. A notable feature is a bench in the front that allows the reintroduction of the traditional ''faada'' - local gatherings of friends and family that routinely occur in the space between the house and the street, which is also a historical gathering place.
Niamey 2000 was one of twenty projects shortlisted for the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields ...
in 2022.
Hikma en Dandaji
In 2018, she worked again with Yasaman Esmaili to produce the project Hikma ("wisdom" in Arabic) in Dandaji, which is in the
Tahoua
Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative centre of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region.Tah ...
region of Niger. Inspired by the
rammed earth
Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method.
...
building technique, the project is a cultural complex that includes a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
, library and community center. Their work combines the two types of knowledge "without contradiction, between secular knowledge and faith." For each project, Kamara's preparation is key.
For each of her achievements, Kamara conducts field surveys in order to better understand the expectations of future inhabitants: how do they live and how do they receive? How comfortable will they be, culturally at ease? What will allow them to lower the temperature inside their house? The Legacy Restored Center project thus required six months of observations. As a result, it offers a citizen space open to all inhabitants of the village of Dandaji, promotes the education of women and strengthens their presence in the community.
The project won two awards at the Lafarge Holcim Awards (2017), the largest competition of sustainable architecture of the world.
Niamey Cultural Center
Kamara is working with the British architect of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian origin,
David Adjaye
Sir David Frank Adjaye (born 22 September 1966) is a Ghanaian-British architect. He is known for having designed many notable buildings around the world, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C ...
, to plan a new cultural center in
Niamey
Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...
.
Bët-bi Museum
In May 2022, Kamara was selected by a jury to lead the design of the new Bët-bi museum in Senegal. The project will be supported by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and its sister-organisation Le Korsa, and is set to open in 2025.
Awards received
* 2017: LafargeHolcim Awards for sustainable construction:
** Silver medal in the Global category
** Gold medal in the Middle East Africa regional category
* 2018: Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative award enabling her to collaborate with architect David Adjaye
*2019:
Prince Claus
Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg (born Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg; 6 September 1926 – 6 October 2002) was Prince consort of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until his death in 2002 as the husband ...
Prize in the Netherlands
Selected work
* Kamara, Mariam. ''Mobile Loitering: A response to public space needs in Niger's post-colonial, highly gendered urban context''. Diss. 2014.