Spirits out of Trees: Fracis Kéré - Gando Montana (Pre-order)

Spirits out of Trees traces the interwoven stories of two architectural works by Burkinabé-German architect Francis Kéré Xylem, a contemplative pavilion nestled within the aspen groves of Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana, and the Naaba Belem Goumma Secondary School, built for Kéré's hometown community of Gando, Burkina Faso. Though separated by geography, climate, and culture, the two buildings are united by a shared philosophy: architecture as a site of gathering, learning, and care.

The book explores how trees--literal and metaphorical--inform Kéré's design language. Xylem evokes the spiritual and structural intelligence of trees, offering a space of quiet communion and passive cooling. Naaba Belem Goumma Secondary School transforms local materials into a living, breathing environment for education, shaped by and for its community