ELLEN DEGENERES CAMPUS OF THE DIAN FOSSEY FUND
A state-of-the-art gorilla research campus serving as a living laboratory and an outdoor classroom to train the next generation of African conservationists.
Kinigi, Rwanda
12 acres
2018-2022
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The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Fund, situated at the foot of the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa, is designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for gorilla research, to educate and inspire visitors, and to test ecologically driven techniques for biodiversity conservation, rewilding, and reforestation of the five Afromontane ecologies that comprise the gorilla territory. The campus serves as a living laboratory and an outdoor classroom to train the next generation of African conservationists.
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A couple of key questions guided early design studies: How can landscape deepen our understanding of gorillas and become an entry point for a lifetime of conservation activism? How can Dian Fossey’s groundbreaking methods of observation inform the landscape experience? Through research, site visits, and time spent hiking and exploring northern Rwanda, the vision for the campus centers a future where human, animal, and ecological health prosper mutually from each other. The design team developed a conceptual design approach that blurred the line between humans and gorillas, striving to create a campus landscape that celebrated two habitats thriving together, sharing resources, and deepening understanding.
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The campus consists of state-of-the-art facilities for education, outreach, research, and housing. The buildings and campus are built from locally sourced materials and utilize sustainable construction methods to conserve resources and minimize environmental impact. The campus integrates rainwater harvesting, green roofs, acres of reforestation, and a constructed wetland to treat wastewater and promote biodiversity.
Three interpretive trails encourage visitors to experience the Fossey Fund’s work firsthand, providing interactive opportunities to engage with the campus and experience a day in the life of a gorilla. A large amphitheater at the heart of campus provides space for lectures, demonstrations, and gatherings. Porches made of volcanic stone, with low seat walls and custom wood seating, are integrated into each building to provide both public and private-facing spaces to socialize and observe the volcanoes towering above the campus.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location Kinigi, Rwanda
Client The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
Team TEN x TEN, MASS Design Group, Local Projects, Buro Happold, Transsolar KilmaEngineering, AEGIS Development Solutions, TECHNO Engineering Company, Oak Consulting Group, formula D_, Habitat XR, Sherwood Design Engineers, Jacques Nsengiyumva, Sheffield
Area 12 acres
Status Completed in 2022
Project Type Adaptive Reuse
Photos Iwan Baan, MASS Design Group