Mariam Issoufou

Biography
Mariam Issoufou Kamara was born in France but grew up in Niger. She only got into architecture at an advanced age. After finishing school, she had the opportunity to study computer science in the USA (2001 Bachelor's degree from Purdue University and 2004 Master's degree from New York University), although she was more drawn to architecture. She worked as a software engineer for seven years before deciding to return to university in her thirties and graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2013. Her thesis Mobile Loitering (focusing on gender issues in public spaces in Niger) was presented in 2014 at the Milan Triennale of design and architecture as part of the exhibition Africa Big Chance Big Change. While still in the USA, she co-founded the architectural group united4design in 2013. After returning to Niger, she founded the architectural and research Atelier Masomi in 2014, which focuses on residential spaces derived from local architecture. In 2018, she received a scholarship from Rolex that allowed her to collaborate with David Adjaye. In 2019, she received the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands. In 2022, she was appointed a full professor of sustainable architecture at ETH Zurich.
After a decade of practice, she has become one of the most sought-after African architects with branches in Niamey (the capital of Niger), Zurich, and New York. In her projects, she always strives to draw from local building traditions, as they preserve a wealth of knowledge about local conditions and issues. One example is her design for a center for women and development in Liberia's capital, Monrovia.