Koffi & Diabaté, a duo for human-sized and eco-responsible architecture in West Africa
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In the east of Abidjan, a village is emerging from the ground. On the edge of the Ebrié lagoon, dozens of Ivorian workers are toiling away on the foundations of an eco-district that will see the light of day in Abatta in just under two years. In this peaceful and very windy area, 226 housing units, offices, shops and leisure spaces will coexist. Rainwater will be stored and reused, waste recovered and greenery present in more than 60% of the area. “It’s really innovative. assures Esmel Casimir Melesse, works manager. If you look closely at Abidjan, there are many residences where you can’t see a single tree, whereas here, the priority is green spaces. An eco-responsible project like this in Ivory Coast, there is only one firm that does it today. »
Koffi & Diabaté, created by the architects Guillaume Koffi and Issa Diabaté, has become in twenty-one years a reference in West Africa. Ministerial city and Maritime Affairs Center in Cotonou, International Museum of Vodun Arts and Civilizations in Porto-Novo… The duo, now very active in Benin, remains essential in its country of origin. In 2018, his work was distinguished at the prestigious World Architecture Awards, in the “Sport” category, for the construction of the Blaise-Pascal high school gymnasium in Abidjan. The firm is nominated again this year for having designed the new headquarters of Orange Côte d’Ivoire, a large circular building delivered in January.
A success that stems from a “wonderful story”says Guillaume Koffi. “We met on a Saturday morning, we visited the site together, it started like that, almost at first sight”, continues Issa Diabaté, who is then a master’s student at Yale University in the United States. Guillaume Koffi was trained at the Special School of Architecture in Paris. “It’s a rather special duo because eleven years apart, there is the master and the apprentice, explains Issa Diabaté, now 52 years old. For me it has always been very interesting to have the depth of experience of someone older, a certain perspective on professional life. And he was happy to have new blood. »
“Reduce urban sprawl”
The two men, who made a name for themselves by building office buildings such as the headquarters of the Bridge Bank and Versus Bank in Abidjan, are now multiplying projects that combine architecture and urban planning. In 2016, the Koffi & Diabaté firm delivered the Résidences Chocolat, an eco-neighborhood of 32 luxury apartments in the upscale Beverly Hills district, in the Ivorian economic capital.
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