On October 30, 2014, as Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré was preparing to make an amendment to the country?s constitution that would eliminate presidential term limits and allow him to extend his 27 year rule, tens of thousands of Burkinabé citizens in the capital city of Ouagadougou broke through police lines to set fire to several government buildings, including city hall, the ruling party headquarters, and the National Assembly Building. The following day, Compaoré stepped down, ushering in a new era of democratic rule and resulting in the country?s first ever pluralistic and competitive Presidential election in 2015.

Courtesy of Kéré Architecture

On October 30, 2014, as Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré was preparing to make an amendment to the country?s constitution that would eliminate presidential term limits and allow him to extend his 27 year rule, tens of thousands of Burkinabé citizens in the capital city of Ouagadougou broke through police lines to set fire to several government buildings, including city hall, the ruling party headquarters, and the National Assembly Building. The following day, Compaoré stepped down, ushering in a new era of democratic rule and resulting in the country?s first ever pluralistic and competitive Presidential election in 2015.But the revolution left the former government complex in tatters and in need of a clear direction forward both culturally and architecturally. A former French colony, Burkin...