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

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.

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]

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]

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]

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.