Birdair, Inc. to Sponsor University of Buffalo Lecture by Award-Winning Architect

Birdair, Inc., the leading specialty contractor of lightweight long-span roofing systems and tensile structures throughout the world, is sponsoring an architectural lecture by world- renowned architect Diébédo Francis Kéré at the University of Buffalo (UB) School of Architecture and Planning on March 26, 2010.

The 2010 Birdair lecture will be held at 301 Crosby Hall on the UB’s South Campus at 5:30 p.m. The annual lecture is sponsored by Birdair to honor Walter Bird, founder of Birdair and former UB instructor.

In his lecture to students and local architects, Kéré will discuss sustainable architecture and his work, which can be seen from Burkina Faso to India. While he was still a student in Germany, he won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his design of a primary school in his home village of Gando in 2004. Kéré has an architectural practice in Berlin and teaches at Berlin Technical University, focusing on housing and urban development, strategies of climatically advantageous building, sustainable utilization of materials, integration of local labor force and local construction techniques.

<“Birdair understands the importance of creating structures that are sustainable and functional, yet visually pleasing – a staple of Kéré’s work,” said Kevin Mayer, Vice President of Business Development, Sales, and Marketing at Birdair, Inc. “It is an honor to sponsor this annual lecture and invite architectural students and local architects to participate.”