In the heart of Bamako, architect Mariam Sy is leading a quiet revolution – one handful of earth at a time. Her vision merges Mali's ancient building wisdom with contemporary design, creating structures that seem to rise organically from the Sahelian soil.
"At 15, I told my parents I wanted to be an architect. They thought it was a good idea, and I had to leave my girls' school to attend a technical college in Bamako," Sy tells RFI.
That decision set her on a path from Mali to Belgium, where she earned her architecture degree, and then to France's prestigious Craterre research centre in Grenoble.
It was there she mastered the art of building with the earth, a material at the core of her sustainable designs. Today, Sy's firm Architerre is at the forefront of eco-friendly architecture in West Africa.
Building with nature
Through projects ranging from homes and medical centres to mosque renovations in Timbuktu, Sy demonstrates how traditional materials can meet modern needs while respecting the environment.
"Whether it's soil, stone or whatever we can find locally, the idea is really to use as little energy as possible in construction and to use materials suited to the local temperature," she says.
"As it happens, in Mali, soil is one of the most widespread and well-known local materials, and for us Sahelians, the advantage is that these materials truly adapt to our climate."
Sy's work has gained attention beyond Mali, inspiring clients across Africa to embrace eco-friendly construction methods.
She co-founded Fact Sahel, a network of architects, masons, engineers, researchers and writers united by a shared vision of environmentally responsible building practices.
"This question of eco-responsible architecture affects everyone. Even though we know we're not the biggest energy consumers in the Sahel, we still suffer the consequences," she says.
"So it's important to also take into account new technologies and questions that affect everyone and apply them to ourselves. We consider ourselves activists. For us, our work truly is activism."
Rediscovering African identity
The revival of traditional construction techniques is part of a larger movement across Africa.
French architect Jean-Marc Lalo, who organises exchange seminars between African and European architects, sees it as a significant shift in the continent's architectural landscape.
"There's both a question of African architectural identity, an enthusiasm for rediscovering traditional earth construction techniques," he says.
"Secondly, it's also one of Africa's future prospects: making a direct leap to construction with bio-sourced, local materials. Earth is perfectly adapted for this, in fact."
From Senegal to Morocco, countries are increasingly embracing sustainable practices. In Benin, the government has commissioned high-profile earth-based projects, including works by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré.
Similar innovations are taking root in Burkina Faso and beyond, with compressed earth bricks becoming a cornerstone of modern African architecture.
Burkina Faso-born architect Francis Diebedo Kéré wins prestigious Pritzker Prize
From tradition to innovation
Sy's next project – a school in Bamako built entirely with earth-based techniques – encapsulates her philosophy of blending tradition with innovation.
"How do we explain to people the return to these materials which have so many advantages in many aspects of life, not just construction?" Sy wonders as she inspects a wall of compressed earth bricks.
For her, each earth-built structure is more than just a building – it's a bridge between Mali's architectural heritage and its sustainable future, demonstrating how ancient wisdom can help solve modern challenges.
This story has been adapted from the original version in French by Frédéric Garat
