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Images by BE Design
In an effort to create an exclusive center that provides spaces for health, education, and mentorship programs for young women, and community areas, BE Design, an architecture film which is located in the in Rwanda’s Eastern Province in collaboration with Rwanda Village Enterprises have designed a Komera Leadership Centre in geometric patterns of Rwanda Imigongo art that takes the angular woven forms according to Dezeen website.
Focused around a large, flexible space at its heart, where a set of hinged comprised of a cluster of blocks, Komera Leadership Centre translucent panels allow it to be subdivided into individual classrooms or opened up into a large community space. Each of the center’s blocks is topped by an angular, zigzagging roof informed by local Imigongo art, creating a geometric form that is reflected on the exterior envelope with a mixture of herringbone brick walls and woven eucalyptus screens.
BE Design founder Bruce Engel told Dezeen.com that, Referencing Rwandan art, the form, inside, narrow wooden planks line the undersides of the angular roofs, with the triangular forms used to create high windows between rooms. “Imigongo Art, and the tradition of basket weaving, are rich and present art forms seen all around the country and encountered in daily life.”
According to Dezeen website, he further added that, “they were inspired by these art forms and incorporated common motives and shapes, specifically the diamond shapes and up/down zigzag that also reflect the well-known topography of Rwanda, and its nickname as the ‘Land of 1,000 Hills.'” The administrative, health and counselling spaces are to the west, while the east is a standalone kitchen and dining area with an adjacent composting toilet block.
Engel also explained that “they were faced with the challenge of having more program requirements than our budget allowed. To address this, we decided to combine the need for a gathering hall with the need for classrooms.” “The large hinging panels and generous storage spaces allowed us to combine and maximize the functionality of these core program pieces while staying within our budget constraints.”
The Komera organization that has been working in Rwanda for over a decade, in collaboration with both the local community and graduates of its programmes designed and constructed the new Leadership Centre from wood.
According to Engel, “it was the community that built the Komera Leadership Center, except for some management staff, who had worked in the community on past projects, all workers live in the area.” He further explained that “they try to build exclusively with Rwanda Village Enterprises because they always mandate a local workforce of a minimum 30 per cent female workforce, and together we ensure that they receive training in good building practice.”
Bruce Engel founded BE Design in 2016, a firm that has offices in New York, USA and Kigali, Rwanda. General Architecture Collaborative recently completed a sports and learning center in collaboration with the residents of Masoro Village, with stepped brick seating overlooking a playing field in Rwanda. In the capital of the country, Kigali Light Earth Designs created three vaulted structures using compressed soil-cement tiles to form a canopy at a cricket pavilion.
Project Info:
Name: Komera Leadership Center
Location: Rwanda
Architect: BE Design
Photography: Courtesy of BE Design
Edited by: MJ | Buildace Magazine
