Gourmega: food for thought with Mariam Issoufou Architects
Gourmega interior. Image by Seth Caplan
Vanessa Norwood writes about Gourmega for Architectures magazine:
Think of the work of Mariam Issoufou, founder and principle of Mariam Issoufou Architects, and images of warm earth red walls that rise from the soil beneath them to create bold and striking forms come to mind. The practice’s work in the architect's native Niger has given vernacular architecture new life and meaning. Projects including the Hikma Community Complex in Dandaji, Niger, realised in collaboration with Yasaman Esmaili of Studio Chahar, that preserved the village’s existing adobe mosque by converting it into a library and building a new mosque alongside it has seen Mariam Issoufou widely recognised as a leading force in African architecture and beyond. Awards for her work include the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) naming Issoufou a Champion of the Earth and the 2025 Roux-Dorlut Architecture Medal awarded by the French Académie d’Architecture and given in recognition of excellence in the relationship between architecture, site and landscape. Mariam is professor of Architecture Heritage and Sustainability at ETH, Zurich.
At the heart of the practice’s work is a commitment helping communities establish long term, sustainable practices to ensure a future adapted to changing climate and extreme heat. For the Hikma Community Complex the original masons were invited to join the project team and introduced to adobe-enhancing additives and erosion protection techniques that strengthened traditional construction. This fostering of material knowledge shared across generations respects the past but critically ensures an economic future for the skilled workers.