ARCHITECT profile:
Created in 2001, the Koffi & Diabaté Architectes agency is structured around its two
partners and a team of 45 people who strongly believe that the notions of sharing
and exchanging are the foundation to open-mindedness.
T
he agency works on a wide range of projects, from residences to corporate offices, housing
estates and real estate programs, in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa. The partners’ goal is to build
modern, quality buildings, all the while taking into account their clients’ lifestyle and cultural
identity.
Koffi & Diabaté Group is the vertical integration of the real estate production chain’s various
professions via the creation of independent entities, each specialized in a specific field.
Koffi & Diabaté Group offers a synergy of services and competencies both diversified and
complementary, built on the core values of excellence, innovation and a shared « group » vision.
“Locally, as architects, we would say that our design approach differentiates us most from other practices,” notes
Guillaume Koffi. At Koffi & Diabaté, they put a high emphasis on their environment and immediate surroundings,
creativity being decisive in the way they design and build. “By creativity, we refer to aspects that go beyond
aesthetics, creating architecture that is visually attractive, yes, but one that is also innovative in the way it
addresses local building/urban issues,” he says. This is particularly visible in the ways in which they incorporate
notions of sustainability in their projects, using passive, cost-effective solutions drawn from traditional local
architecture (cross ventilation, openings positioning based on dominant winds and sun exposure, for example).
“Our architecture aims to be contemporary, sustainable and functional,” says Koffi.
From an organisational perspective, another element that sets them apart from other practices is the way their
work has evolved since 2012, when they made the shift from ‘Architects’ to ‘Architects as Developers’. “Indeed,
from an architects’ office, we decided to build a Group comprised of three main entities, each specialised in a
specific field: Architecture, Real Estate Development and Construction,” points out Issa Diabaté. In doing so, the
practice seeks to address, in a more direct manner, those local urban issues they are faced with, as it provides
them with the freedom to build their own projects (as they become their own clients) all the while being able to
work on a bigger scale.
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