Francis Kéré among winners of World Economic Forum's 2024 Crystal Award

Pritzker Prize winner Diébédo Francis Kéré is among three individuals to receive the 2024 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum. The accolade seeks to “celebrate the enduring contributions to society of exceptional artists.”

In announcing Kéré as an award recipient, the organization applauded the architect’s “exemplary leadership in providing the Gando community the means towards a socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable future through projects that focus on education, health, and the environment.” The organizers also noted Kéré’s development of innovative construction strategies that “combine traditional building techniques and materials with modern construction methods.”

The other two winners of the 2024 Crystal Award are Michelle Yeoh, an ambassador for the United Nations Development Program, advocate for wildlife conservation and environmental protection, and Oscar-winning actor, as well as Nile Rodgers, a Grammy Award-winning guitarist, composer, and humanitarian.

“The cultural leaders receiving the 2024 Crystal Award are bridge-builders,” said the award organizers. “They connect us to each other, they help us reflect on the human condition, and they provide visions of the world that can cut through the limitations of short-term or linear thinking.”

The award is one of several accolades recently awarded to Kéré. In April of last year, Yale Architecture named a new scholarship in honor of the architect, in the same month that Kéré was among the honorary degree recipients at the RISD Commencement. Back in 2022, meanwhile, Kéré was named the winner of the Pritzker Prize, widely considered one of the industry’s highest honors.