Eureka: Jeanne Autran-Edorh on architectural heritage and innovation in Togo

Summary

Podcast Summary: Eureka – Jeanne Autran-Edorh on Architectural Heritage and Innovation in Togo

Podcast: The Entrepreneurs
Host: Tom Edwards (Monocle)
Guest: Jeanne Autran-Edorh, Co-founder of Studio Naïda
Date: September 12, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Eureka features Jeanne Autran-Edorh, a French-Togolese architect and co-founder of Studio Naïda, an interdisciplinary architecture and design practice. The conversation explores her transition from working at major architectural firms to leading her own studio, her efforts in documenting and elevating Togo’s modernist and post-independence architectural heritage, confronting global issues such as textile waste in West Africa, and championing traditional craftsmanship and materials in contemporary African architecture.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Transitioning from Big Studios to Leading Studio Naïda

[01:16]

• Jeanne reflects on the move from working at award-winning studios to leading her own practice.
• The challenge of representing Togo on an international stage, such as at the Venice Biennale and Triennale in Milan, is highlighted.

Quote:

"It's not just a project, it's not like I'm building this. You are representing an entire nation."
— Ed Stocker, Host [01:16]

2. Venice Architecture Biennale – Documenting Togo’s Modernist Heritage

[01:47 – 03:11]

• Jeanne discusses the central theme of Togo’s first-ever Venice Pavilion: the documentation of postcolonial architecture, focusing on 1970s-80s modernist and brutalist buildings.
• Many of these structures, such as the Hôtel de la Paix in Lomé, which was once a luxury site, are now abandoned and undervalued.
• There’s a lack of national investment in maintenance, but external documentation is driving awareness and creating a sense of value.

Quote:

"We really seen the need of documenting this architecture... This is also heritage, and what's beautiful is that it started with those research and now we can tell that it already has impact."
— Jeanne Autran-Edorh [02:38]

3. The Impact of Research and Public Awareness

[03:11 – 03:24]

• Jeanne acknowledges that while there isn’t restoration funding yet, the value and awareness around these buildings are increasing thanks to their work.

Quote:

"Not yet. But I think the value is already added."
— Jeanne Autran-Edorh, on restoration funding [03:19]

4. Triennale di Milano – Togo as a Dumping Ground for Textile Waste

[03:27 – 04:44]

• Highlighting Togo’s role as a recipient of discarded clothes from Europe and the Global North; most end up in landfills or are unsellable due to poor quality.
• Studio Naïda’s Milan installation centered on denim, chosen for its durability and potential for creative reuse.
• The goal is shifting perspectives: from “wastefulness to resourcefulness,” using design to improve awareness and see opportunity in discarded materials.

Quote:

"We focused on denim, on jeans... trying to like shift from wastefulness to resourcefulness and seeing like some design opportunity in this material."
— Jeanne Autran-Edorh [04:20]

5. Promoting Architecture and Craftsmanship in Togo

[04:44 – 06:13]

• Jeanne expresses her hope to inspire young Togolese and African architects to value traditional materials and techniques.
• She warns that unique crafts are being lost to industrialized, imported materials, and emphasizes the urgency of documenting and collaborating with local makers.
• Studio Naïda is actively working on guest houses and other local architecture, integrating artisanal talent and building local capacity.

Quote:

"Young architect in Africa in general are valuing traditional materials and knowledge that exist and which is really rich and which is a wealth that we have to preserve, actually."
— Jeanne Autran-Edorh [05:27]

6. Elevating Indigenous Craft and Contextual Architecture

[06:13 – 07:11]

• Jeanne aims to give artisanal makers global recognition and challenge perceptions around “old” or “non-modern” materials like clay.
• Advocates for architecture that belongs to its context, instead of mirroring foreign models.

Quote:

"To show that material that can be seen as not modern or old, like clay, for instance... can be really modern, really beautiful, really well finished... trying to not follow foreign models but rather developing an architecture that belongs to its context."
— Jeanne Autran-Edorh [06:30]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Responsibility:
  "It's not just a project, it's not like I'm building this. You are representing an entire nation." — Ed Stocker [01:16]

• On Preservation:
  "We really seen the need of documenting this architecture... This is also heritage..." — Jeanne Autran-Edorh [02:38]

• On Textile Waste:
  "Clothes that are discarded in Europe or in the global north... most of it is just transported to the global South. And Togo is one of the places where... this billion tons of clothes is landing." — Jeanne Autran-Edorh [03:42]

• On Traditional Knowledge:
  "Craft is really huge value that can disappear quite fast. There is really the need to give value again to them and to work with this." — Jeanne Autran-Edorh [05:27]

• On Local Materials:
  "To show that material that can be seen as not modern or old, like clay, for instance... can be really modern, really beautiful, really well finished..." — Jeanne Autran-Edorh [06:30]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Background: [00:00 – 01:16]
• Representing Togo on International Stage: [01:16 – 01:47]
• Venice Biennale & Architectural Heritage: [01:47 – 03:11]
• Impact and Future of Heritage Research: [03:11 – 03:24]
• Triennale di Milano & Textile Waste: [03:27 – 04:44]
• Fostering Architectural Tradition in Togo: [04:44 – 06:13]
• Championing Craft & Local Materials: [06:13 – 07:11]

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Conclusion

Jeanne Autran-Edorh exemplifies a new generation of African architects, blending global practice with local roots and a deep respect for heritage and innovation. Through projects at international exhibitions and on the ground in Togo, her work at Studio Naïda aims to rescue overlooked architectural landmarks, elevate craft and traditional materials, and orient young talent towards a more contextual and resourceful future in architecture.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. You're listening to Eureka on Monocle Radio. Brought to you by the team behind the entrepreneurs. The show all about inspiring people, innovative companies and fresh ideas in global business. I'm Tom Edwards. Jeanne Otran Edo is a French Togolese architect and co founder of Studio Naida, an interdisciplinary practice based in Berlin and Lome that combines architecture, design and research with a focus on local materials and regenerative craftsmanship. Jan's worked with award winning studios and co curated Togo's first pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale as well as its presentation at the Triennale in Milan. Jeanne was one of the stars at Monocle's recent Quality of Life conference in Barcelona. And while she was there, she also found the time to catch up with our Ed Stocker to discuss the future of architecture at home and how her work is making an impact internationally. Ed began by asking Jeanne about the shift from working in large studios to leading her own practice.

[B]

Well, it must be nice after working for, you know, those big studios to then go alone and have your own decision making power, as it were. You've done amazing things already. You know the Togo Pavilion, the Venice Biennale. You also were representing Togo at the Triennale in Milan. Do you feel, I don't know, like a burden? Because you are. It's not just a project, it's not like I'm building this. You are representing an entire nation. How does it feel?

[C]

The exhibition in Venice is called Considering Togoli's Architectural Heritage. So it was about document documenting post colonial architecture, like the architecture of independence. Like there is really beautiful specimens of brutalist modernist buildings that were built like from the 70s to the late 80s. There is not much care of value given to them in the country. Like some are abandoned, others are still in functions because a lot of them are institutional or banks or the banks are still running on. But we really seen the need of documented this architecture.

[B]

I've been to Ghana and some of their sort of post independence architecture is well maintained like Black Star Square. But there are a lot of buildings that are not. Sadly. Yeah, it's the same in Togo exactly.

[C]

And there is a few. Like there is one prominent building which is this Hotel de la Pave which was like a luxury hotel in the 70s. Estate Hotel. It's on the, like on the Lome front. Water, sea. It's beautiful. But it's abandoned since 20 years. Like our research, starting with seeing the need of offering a reuse for this building and what is. And to say that this is also heritage and what's beautiful is that it started with those research and now we can tell that it already has impact.

[B]

Yeah, you've seen an impact. Is there finance that's come off the back of that? People who want to step in and help restore those buildings?

[C]

Not yet.

[B]

But you're hopeful?

[C]

Yeah, I think the value is already added.

[B]

And what about quickly about the triennale?

[C]

The triennale. So that's a project about waste. So we worked on the topic of textile waste.

[B]

I remember seeing this.

[C]

That's being dumb, like.

[B]

Or the Togo is a dumping ground for a lot of clothes, right?

[C]

Exactly. Like clothes that are discarded in. In Europe or in the global north. And as like there is the promise of them being recycled, but actually most of it is just transport to the global South. And Togo is one of the place where like a small part of this billion stones of clothes is landing. Some of it arrive on these like secondhand markets. But a lot of it is also not usable because the quality is so, so poor. So we worked with like, we focused on denim, on jeans maybe because it's also one of the only cotton fabric that can, like, has some rigidity or like, can be still reusable and brought like an installation that talks about this topic as awareness, but also trying to like shift from wastefulness to resourcefulness and seeing like some design opportunity in this, in this material.

[B]

I mean, that's bringing Togo to the world stage in a way. Those are two projects, obviously with their origins or being shown in Italy, obviously. What about in Togo itself? I think you were working or finished working on a guest house. Like, what do you want to do? I don't know what the situation's like in Togo, but I know that in some neighboring countries or nearby countries there isn't a strong architectural tradition or like formally. So are you looking to shift that as well? Get more young architects? Is that something you would like to help do? Get more people embracing architecture and wanting to build genuinely beautiful, useful buildings in the country?

[C]

Definitely.

[B]

Big question.

[C]

No, definitely. And also simply that young architect in Africa in general are valuing traditional materials and knowledge that exist and which is really rich and which is a wealth that we have to preserve, actually. And like I talked earlier on the panel about craft, but craft is really huge value that can disappear quite, quite fast. Or maybe we are in the age where a lot of craft are being replaced by other industrial imported materials. There is really the need to give value again to them and to work with this. So to work with local makers and.

[B]

Also a possibility to give these local makers a world stage as well. You know, make their artisanal expertise or their craft expertise be used in projects outside of Togo, outside of Africa, anywhere, really. Is that something you'd like to do or are doing?

[C]

No. Exactly. And to show that material that can be seen as not modern or old, like clay, for instance, like to shift the understanding of this material and seeing that it can be really modern, really beautiful, really well finished, that it can bring incredible comfort into houses. And I think it's like trying to not follow foreign models, but rather developing an architecture that belongs to its context.

[A]

That was Jeanne Otranedo, the co founder of Studio Nadir. And you can find out more about Jeanne and the studio's work by heading to studioneider.com and that is all for this episode of Eureka. We'll be back at the same time next week. The program was produced by Laura Kramer with audio editing by Steph Jungou. You can listen again and find out [e-mail] or follow us wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd like to get in touch with the team, do drop a line to Laura on lrkonical.com I'm Tom Edwards. Goodbye and thanks for listening to Eureka.