Milan 2016: an installation modelled on a typical African village has been built at Milan's Palazzo Litta by Berlin architect Diébédo Francis Kéré (+ slideshow).

Situated in the courtyard of the Baroque building, Kéré Architecture's project is designed as a space for visitors to meet and interact.

Kéré grew up in Burkino Faso, and took cues from the social and spatial dynamics of villages in his home country to inform the design.

The Courtyard Village in Milan comprises a elevated platform surrounded by swathes of native Italian grasses.

Three circular shelters built from stone sit on top, while a single overhanging bamboo roof shades the entire "village".

Six varieties of stone, supplied by Italian company Casone, were used to construct the pavilions. The thin slabs are arranged vertically, spaced apart to prop up horizontal rings. The gaps between these elements increase in both height and width from the bottom to the top of the structures.
"In search of the ideal expression of material, the close collaboration between Casone and Diébédo Francis Kéré aims to reinterpret the most primitive construction method, piling stones, in an innovative and audacious way," said the team.

Related story: Diébédo Francis Kéré's Camper pop-up store opens at the Vitra Campus

The installation also features Kéré's first chair ? the Ziba seat designed for Italian brand Riva1920. The solid-wood chair references traditional African stools...