Architect Melissa Kacoutie starts her day reviewing building sketches with her team at her firm called Jeanette Studios. The company is at the cutting edge of Côte d’Ivoire’s architecture sector. Kacoutie brings sixteen years of professional experience.
Her signature minimalist concepts, marked by clean lines, open floor plans and natural materials, offer a more sustainable approach to architecture. She strives to incorporate the needs of her clients into her designs.
“To create unique and meaningful spaces, it is important to understand the client and to have a clear idea of who the client is, their expectations, and everything related to local art as well as elements brought from elsewhere into the project, which are drawn from the imagination that I build around the project,” she says.
Childhood passion
Kacoutie’s passion for architecture began in her childhood. She was attracted to the discipline’s combination of creativity and structure. She graduated with a master’s degree from the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris in 2011 and proceeded to work in Europe.
Eventually, she relocated to Abidjan in her homeland of Côte d’Ivoire. Working at Koffi and Diabate Architects marked a turning point in her career. There, she learned to embrace architecture in all its dimensions, from conceptual studies to on-site execution. She began to develop her unique minimalist style.
Minimalist vision spreads
In 2017, she was ready to set up her own firm. She started Jeannette Studio from her apartment before seeing the agency grow steadily. Eventually, she set up the studio in Abidjan’s affluent Cocody district. Today, Kacoutie’s influence is measured not only in square meters of built space, but also in knowledge transmission. Each year she trains five to six interns, spreading her minimalist vision into the minds of future builders. She follows the trends in the industry.
“Beyond the desires of clients, it is important to nourish one’s mind. I look at many images, I try to attend exhibitions, and I observe what others are doing in terms of art. I try to draw inspiration from these influences in my own projects. Exchanges with others are what mainly nourish the creativity behind our designs,” she says.
New buildings reflect the city’s desire to be seen as a modern African city. Kacoutie designed Shefa Restaurant with sleek lines and bold colours. The city’s tropical landscape inspired her.
Built on approximately six hundred square meters, the space is conceived like a “Garden of Eden”.
It features a garden and double-skin structures. wood and glass elements, metallic slats and an arched entrance.
“We work through what can be described as urban acupuncture. Our small interventions are meant to influence the surrounding neighbourhood. The impacts may not be very large, but through our footprint we manage to radiate and influence the areas around us,” she says.
Grooming young architects
She is paving the way for younger architects. Kouadio Aya was an intern at Jeannette Studio for three years. Today, she is the head of an architectural firm called Archicrea, where she, too, specialises in minimalism.
“My time at Jeannette studio shaped my vision of minimalist architecture. I learned that every project can tell a story through details and atmospheres. Today, I am also able to propose minimalist concepts and inspire clients through the spaces and atmospheres I create,” she says.
Empowering women
In a field still largely dominated by men, the numbers highlight the scale of the challenges. According to the Order of Architects of Côte d’Ivoire, the country has 320 officially registered architects, of which 77 are women, representing 24%. Among them, only twenty run their own firms, accounting for just seven percent of the profession. But the numbers are rising, and Aya Kacoutie is among them.
Their voices are becoming more and more influential. According to Joseph Amon, the president of the Order of Architects of Côte d’Ivoire, this is a welcome development.
“The female perspective must be valued. It must be much more inclusive in different approaches. Women should not simply be seen as the weaker sex that observes and comments timidly. Their thinking must be placed on the same level as that of men. By combining these different perspectives, we can bring out the best ideas to help build Côte d’Ivoire,” he told bird. He also serves as the chairman of the board of the Abidjan School of Architecture.
Meanwhile, Kacoutie has more designs up her sleeve, more dreams to actualise.
Through her projects, pedagogical engagement and sustainable vision, Kacoutie goes beyond the act of building. She shapes spaces full of meaning rooted in local culture and orientated towards the future. Her journey illustrates a profound transformation of Ivorian architecture, where the creativity of women is shaping Africa’s urban spaces.
