Milestones in Design Process of KICS Campus, Rwanda, Africa

Assemblage is excited to share our progress on the Kigali International Community School Campus. Nurturing a relationship with the school board and teachers has informed our design process. As the design takes shape, we see topography, ecology, and hydrology intersecting with day to day life as a student or teacher at KICS.

Contours Shape Circulation 

The KICS campus will occupy what is currently an open hilltop in the city of Kigali in Rwanda, Africa. The site reflects the local landscape of rolling hills and valleys once covered with native forests but cleared for agricultural use. As the KICS campus, the now open hillside will become home to a network of classroom buildings, sports fields and amenities within a campus forest serving primary through high school students. 

With our design partners, the General Architecture Collaborate, Assemblage is designing for a campus that works with the character of the natural landform. Pathways will align with the natural contours of the landscape sculpted around architecture built into the topography. With a central spine that extends from arrival to the campus interior. The gentle sloping pathways and ramps that will connect students with buildings mean that ALL students share the same access entry and exist for a more inclusive and accessible environment.

Topography Informs Hydrology and Ecology 

Working with the topography of the site also informs the site’s hydrology and ecology. As pathways and people move along the contours of the landscape, so will stormwater runoff! With a rainy season characterized by intense rainfall, our plans are driven to capture 95% of peak rainfall and improve water quality. Think of it as circulation and stormwater systems working together. Ideas for a canopy system with integrated stormwater collection are emerging alongside native revegetation and a “campus forest” as ecological solutions for slowing runoff, rebuilding soils, and more. Together, these design solutions support the teacher’s goals for a campus acts as an ecological learning laboratory.

Next Up: Designs Details for KICS Ecology Take Shape 

With our blue metrics to replicate the natural water balance of the site pre-development, and the Kigali Declaration for Reforestation, exciting design solutions are emerging to meet these metrics. Stay tuned for details on campus forest soon!

written by Lori Ball Horton for Assemblage Landscape Architecture