African Design Magazine October 2014 | Page 93

Architect profile Guillaume Koffi With over thirty years of experience in architectural studies and the management of major projects in Africa, in 2001, Guillaume Koffi created Koffi & Diabaté Architectes (on the foundation of his firm SAU Guillaume Koffi and the acquisition of architect Louis Renard’s portfolio), and in 2012, the holding Koffi & Diabaté Group. Issa Diabaté A Master in Architecture graduate from Yale University, from 1991 to 1993, Diabaté interned at architecture firms in Côte d’Ivoire (Goly Kouassi), the United States (Devrouax and Purnell) and in France (Jean Nouvel et Catani) where he took part in the Cité Judiciaire de Nantes contest. In May 1994, he joined the SAU Guillaume Koffi office as architect intern, only to come back in 1995 as Architectural Projects Manager. In 2001, Diabaté became Koffi’s partner with the creation of Koffi & Diabaté Architectes. A Member of Côte d’Ivoire’s Order of Architects (CNOA), Diabaté also evolves in the design world, with his work presented at Senegal’s Dak’art Contemporary Art Biennale (1998 laureate), and most recently at the exhibitions Abidjanow (Archibat Event – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) and Design Indaba (Cape Town, South Africa). Diabaté has also been appointed “Chevalier de l’Ordre National” in Côte d’Ivoire. Since 2006, Guillaume Koffi has been President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Order of Architects (CNOA) and the initiator of Archibat, Côte d’Ivoire’s Architecture and Construction Exhibition. He is also a Member of the Sciences, Arts, Cultures Association of Africa and the Diaspora (ASCAD), and has been appointed “Chevalier de l’Ordre National” and “Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Culturel” in Côte d’Ivoire. africandesignmagazine.com 93