Kaira Looro 2026 Awards Three Visions for a Community Centre in Rural Senegal

Afroditi Ioannidou and Vladimir Gligorovski, from Greece, are the winners of the Kaira Looro Architecture Competition 2026.

Their proposal for a new Community Centre in southern Senegal received first prize, together with a €6,000 award and an internship at Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo.

Second prize went to Polish designers Marta Kuczynska and Jakub Czak, who received €2,000 and the opportunity to complete an internship at one of three international practices: Benedetta Tagliabue EMBT in Barcelona, David Adjaye Associates in New York, or SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli in Milan.

Third prize was awarded to the Colombian team formed by Karol Eliana Cuellar Narváez, Jhuliana Giraldo, Juan Sebastian Piedrahita, Juan Santiago Uribe and Oscar Valencia, who received €1,000 and access to the same international internship programme.

The two Honourable Mentions went to Alexandre Fidèle, from Mauritius, and Ariane Baillargeon, from Canada. The competition also selected 10 Special Mentions and 35 finalists from a total of 25 countries.

A community centre for rural Senegal

Organised by the international non-profit organisation Balouo Salo, the 2026 edition invited young architects, students, engineers and designers from more than 125 countries to imagine a multifunctional civic space for a rural community in southern Senegal.

The brief responded to a real need identified on the ground: a building of around 1,000 square metres, including indoor and outdoor areas, capable of hosting educational activities, cultural events, community meetings, professional workshops and recreational programmes.

Participants were asked to develop proposals that were not only innovative, but also realistically buildable, with particular attention to functional flexibility, climate adaptation, environmental sustainability, and the use of local materials and construction techniques.

Self-construction, limited use of machinery, simplified maintenance and a reduced environmental impact were among the main criteria, reinforcing an understanding of humanitarian architecture as a service to the community rather than a purely formal exercise.

An international jury chaired by Kengo Kuma
The projects were evaluated by an international jury chaired by Kengo Kuma and composed of some of the most recognised figures in contemporary architecture, including David Adjaye, Benedetta Tagliabue, Amanda Levete, Manuel Aires Mateus, Mario Cucinella, Giancarlo Mazzanti, Agostino Ghirardelli, Urko Sanchez, Raul Pantaleo, Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani, Emmanuelle Moureaux and Mohamed Amine Siana.

The jury was supported by a Scientific Committee formed by Raoul Vecchio, Sebastiano D’Urso, Grazia Maria Nicolosi, Dario Distefano and Moulaye Diebate, with the task of ensuring methodological rigour and strengthening the competition’s academic and research dimension.

Entries were assessed according to architectural quality, sustainability, contextual integration, feasibility and social impact, keeping the proposals closely connected to the actual conditions of the communities involved.

From competition proposal to possible construction
One of the defining aspects of Kaira Looro is its commitment to moving beyond theoretical design. Selected projects undergo technical evaluation, feasibility studies, adaptation to local conditions and ongoing dialogue with institutions and communities before any possible implementation.

This model has already generated tangible results. The Children House, winner of a previous edition, is now in the final stages of construction as a medical centre specialising in the treatment of childhood malnutrition in a rural area of Senegal. The Women’s House has also entered the implementation phase and will support professional training, education and women’s economic empowerment.

A competition supporting humanitarian projects
The competition is entirely non-profit, with 100% of its proceeds directed to Balouo Salo’s humanitarian projects in sub-Saharan Africa, supporting initiatives in healthcare, education, access to drinking water and essential infrastructure.

Founded in 2014, Balouo Salo works directly with local communities through participatory, sustainable and inclusive development models. Over the years, its projects have contributed to improving the living conditions of more than 50,000 people in highly vulnerable regions.

With its 2026 edition, Kaira Looro once again confirms its role as an international platform where design experimentation, professional training and humanitarian action converge. At its core is not only architectural quality, but architecture’s ability to generate dignity, resilience and new opportunities for communities.