Spirits out of Trees (Amy Holmes)

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.

Combining architectural documentation and photography with personal writing and original poetry, Spirits out of Trees is both a tribute to Francis Kéré's vision and to the enduring metaphor of the tree as shelter and a symbol of regeneration. Designed with the same humility and clarity that defines Kéré's work, the volume offers a deeply resonant meditation on sustainability, cultural continuity, and the power of architecture to root us more fully in the world around us.

Francis Kéré is a Burkinabé-German architect and 2022 Pritzker Prize laureate. His Berlin-based firm Kéré Architecture is widely recognized for creating innovative works that are often sustainable and collaborative in nature. He is also a professor of architectural design and participation at the Technical University of Munich.

Amy Holmes is the Program Officer for the Sidney E. Frank Foundation and Executive Director of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation, both based in New York.

Julie Cirelli is a Stockholm-based American journalist and editor and co-director of Zurich-based architecture publishing house Park Books.