Located where the Niger and Bani rivers meet, Mopti is Mali’s fourth largest city and its main commercial port. After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Mopti, commonly known as the Mosque of Komoguel, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) turned to the construction of the Center for Earth Architecture, a visitor facility that forms part of the city’s tourist infrastructure but simultaneously accommodates an administrative program servicing local needs.

The center stands close to an interior lake, on land gained by a backfill at the waterside that has made it accessible for public use. Addressing the needs of the program, the building consists of three independent volumes, two of them connected by a shared roof. Compressed earth blocks were used to raise the building, in particular all the walls and barrel vaults. This construction system is particularly suited to local climate conditions. Openings in the walls and vaults make it possible for air to flow freely, helping to keep indoor temperatures at comfortable levels and making mechanical cooling systems unnecessary. The landscaping part of the project provides wide public lakeside spaces as well as a promenade that stretches along the top part of the dike.