Born: Unknown (1980s), Côte d’Ivoire (assumed)
Died: NA
Country most active: Côte d’Ivoire
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Women Architects Worldwide: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Canon by Aubree Tillett, edited by Aubree Tillett and Jess Ilias, an open-access Pressbook designed to uplift the names of women architects from almost every country and territory around the world. This entry is shared in line with the Creative Commons licensing.
Mélissa Kacoutié is the Founder and Principal Architect at Jeannette Studio Architecture, an architectural firm located in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (2016). She holds a diploma in Architecture from L’École d’Architecture Spéciale de Paris in Paris, France. Kacoutié was named on the list of “Ten Women Architects ‘Who Should All Be Household Names’” by Dezeen (2024), was featured in the book 100 Women: Architects in Practice (2023), and she was named “one of the trendiest architects in Abidjan” by Jeune Afrique (2020).
References
Carlson, Cajsa. “Ten Women Architects ‘Who Should All Be Household Names.’” Dezeen, February 22, 2024. https://www.dezeen.com/2024/02/22/100-women-architects-in-practice-book/.
Finney, Alice. “Fourteen Black Architects and Designers You Should Know,” Dezeen. February 1, 2022. https://www.dezeen.com/2022/02/01/black-history-month-architects-designers/.
Home page. Jeannette Studio, accessed April 19, 2024. https://jeannette-studio.com/.
Kacoutié, Mélissa. LinkedIn. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacouti%C3%A9-m%C3%A9lissa-ba3ab137/?originalSubdomain=ci.
Katangulia, Lise Isaro. “Inspiring Living African ‘Female’ Architects, Biography and Ground-Breaking Achievements.” Medium (blog), May 27, 2021. https://architectisaro.medium.com/inspiring-living-african-female-architects-biography-and-ground-breaking-achievements-a1f86d6a43a2.
“Mélissa Kacoutié, pour une architecture contemporaine afro-minimaiste.” Ivoire CEO, September 13, 2023. https://ivoireceo.com/melissa-kacoutie-pour-une-architecture-contemporaine-afro-minimaiste/, https://ivoireceo.com/melissa-kacoutie-pour-une-architecture-contemporaine-afro-minimaiste/.
Tollo, Aude. “Jeannette Studio Brings Poetry to Architecture.” Wallpaper, December 27, 2022. https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/west-african-studio-profile-series-jeannette-studio-ivory-coast.
Touré, Katia Dansoko. “Côte d’Ivoire : Mélissa Kacoutié, une architecte à la signature minimaliste.” Jeune Afrique. June 19, 2020. https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1001725/culture/cote-divoire-melissa-kacoutie-une-architecte-epuree-et-minimaliste-a-abidjan/.