Assemblage in Kigali, Rwanda Site of the Kigali International Community School project

For Assemblage, these early moments on the ground in Kigali are critical in forming a deep understanding and a bond with both the site and its place within the greater region. It is here that we are also meeting and immediately getting to work with our team-mates based in Rwanda. These are important days in forming our response to the design opportunities with this project and we’re excited to share some first impressions. The process of interacting with the landscape is critical to our approach to design and to this project. 

On Site: Grounding 

The process of interacting with the landscape is critical to our approach to design and to this project. The dynamic forces of people, flora, water, and soil are an ever-changing repository of natural systems at work. Our first day on the ground and we meet with the design team. Together we walk the 20 acre site and are instantly struck by the soil, currently tilled for agriculture.

Soils: The rich, dark brown soil tells the story of the indigenous forest that covered the site. Compressed earth bricks from local soil are seen drying in the sun. 

Slope: The landform itself too begins to reveal itself more deeply. The undeveloped, expansive site has been used for agriculture and the soil is loose and tilled. This is an advantage for our site because much of the soil in Kigali is quite compacted. 

Air and Water: With the rainy season upon us here it is apparent that the land changes quickly from extreme dry to moist with the intense rainfall. Much of the water in the first storms runs downhill to the floodplain, as the soil cannot absorb it so quickly.

Sun: The temperatures are hot and humid and hint at the way in which the warm equatorial climate and how we will approach the mitigation of sun and exposure for the learning landscapes.

Plants: While the native forest has been harvested decades ago for subsistence agriculture. One very large Cordyline australis stands out among the tilled fields. There are still crops on the site: beans, taro, and cassava.

From this impressionistic beginning we’ll be heading out beyond the site itself to learn more about the local resources which will inform how we approach the design planning. We’ll report back in a few days again as we uncover more.