Across the African continent, but especially in the sub-Saharan regions the light provided by the sun has a particularly stark quality, which becomes most apparent in relation to age-old buildings and in the way in which it shapes daily routines. Without relying on artificial light, architecture had to both make use of the sun light to create a light source within a building, yet also protect those living in the houses from the intensity of it. This has resulted in vernacular architecture that works with very few or small openings that render the inside of a building near pitch black while the outside is illuminated by direct sunshine that bears down mercilessly.

On the initiative of the lighting company Zumtobel Group, photographer Iwan Baan and architect Francis Kéré set out to capture how the sun’s natural light cycle shapes vernacular architecture with little to no artificial light sources in Burkina Faso. They travelled to three exemplary locations: Communal compounds in Gando, the main mosque of Bobo Dioulasso and the terraced houses in Dano utilising pots to create skylights. Baan’s pictures are accompanied by architectural sketches by Francis Kéré, who himself grew up in this light environment and whose architecture is inspired by it. The stunning photographs are printed in a special technique to give a sense of being immersed in the very light conditions that are being documented.

Photographs by: Iwan Baan