Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA
30/11/2018.
Patrick Schweitzer et Associés Architectes [Kigali] Rwanda
metalocus, LUIS ANDRES DE JUANES
metalocus, LUIS ANDRES DE JUANES
The new Faculty of architecture in Kigali, is a project proposed by the Government of Rwanda in March 2012 and carried out by the French architecture studio of Patrick Schweitzer et Associés.
This school covers an area of 5,600 square meters and has the capacity to house 600 students. It is located on the campus of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Rwanda, in the district of Nyarugenge.
This school covers an area of 5,600 square meters and has the capacity to house 600 students. It is located on the campus of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Rwanda, in the district of Nyarugenge.
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Edwin SEDA
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
Models. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Models. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Diagram. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Ground floor plan. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
First floor plan. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Section. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Section. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA.
Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design by S&AA. Photograph by Jules TOULET
The UR –CST building is located in former KIST Nyarugenge District. The works started in early 2017 and was inaugurated on 15th March 2018. The first 400 students will start using the building in September 2018.
Description of project by Schweitzer et Associés Architectes
Context. The architecture Practice Patrick Schweitzer & Associés responded to the international call launched by the Government of Rwanda in March 2012 for the construction of the new Faculty of architecture in Kigali. This school covers an area of 5,600 square meters and has the capacity to accommodate 600 students. It is located in the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology campus in Nyarugenge District. The works started in early 2017 and were completed at the end of 2017.
Territory. The building is the result of a global site analysis. Its architecture is inspired by the territory and by colors and shapes found in Nature. The four natural elements are represented in the conception of the building: Fire: orange color, Water: inner garden, Air: circulations, and Earth: lava rock and rammed earth. We created prisms inspired by Rwanda landscape and topography. We broke their volume down to create fault lines and canyons. A central fault line emerges: the outdoor living space. It opens the project to the KIST entrance, to the valley and to the city.
The sharing of architectural knowledge. The Practice was determined to build a project which is by itself a pedagogic tool. Indeed, the architecture shows the building process to the students. It is also fundamental for the aspiring young architects to be encouraged to use local resources.
Reducing environmental impact. By using local resources and materials such as lava rock, rammed earth, raw or painted concrete, by reducing imports, eliminating technical solutions which are difficult to build or maintain, we reduced the environmental impact of the building.
Traditional and local skills. Carpentry and locksmith workshops were installed on the site. Ceilings and joineries are made of local wood, slabs were cast-in-place and traditional removable formwork were also used, thus fostering local sectors. There have been up to 400 people working on the building’s site.
Simple technical solutions to build and to maintain were favored. There is no elevator but a large and comfortable ramp to get to the second floor. There is no heating and air-conditioning equipment but an efficient natural ventilation system. The architecture is used for regulating thermal atmospheres. Properly designed daylighting provides healthier and more pleasant conditions. It also reduces demand for artificial lighting which can reduce running costs. The concrete walls are insulated, sealed and plastered from the outside with the aim of controlling the solar heat gain. The building is also fitted with rainwater harvesting and storage units.
Two-storeys organization. The ground floor includes logistic and school facilities: administration, laboratories, workshops, seminar rooms and auditorium. On the first floor, thirteen prisms house architecture studios, classrooms and pin-up spaces. Each room has a distinct identity, reflected in its volume, color and view. The outdoor living space which includes stands and benches favors meetings, exchanges and performances. The two parts of the building are connected by several footbridges. On the one hand they allow a joint between the different parts of the project and on the other hand it gives a dynamic visual identity.
Two vectors: education and environment. The agency selected a strong design with complex shapes. The architecture is based on the environment and pedagogic aspirations. Halfway between traditional and contemporary architecture, the building is based on a simple and didactic architecture in an African developing country where population is expected to double by 2050.
More information
Architects
S&AA. Patrick Schweitzer et Associés Architectes
Collaborators
Technical team.- EGIS. Landscaper.- ACTE 2 Paysage
Contractor
CATIC
Client
MINEDUC
Area
5,600 m²
Cost
€ 7,000,000 HT
Dates
2012 – 2018
Patrick Schweitzer
Patrick Schweitzer, architect D.P.L.G. and D.I.U.P. He lives and works in Strasbourg. Architect D.P.L.G. in 1982, he won the Albums de la Jeune Architecture in 1986. He created his agency in 2001 after having been managing director of the KNECHT + SCHWEITZER agency from 1986 to 2001.
AWARDS
2008 Distinction at the national contest "Gold pyramid 2008" ( ruby pyramid for the prize of environmental housing for the project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg)
2008 Regional prize 2008 for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize of environmental housing 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize "Blue Sky" 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize of aesthetic property 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prix de l'immobilier d'entreprise 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
1990 Local prize of Architecture for the gymnasium of Hoenheim
AWARDS
2008 Distinction at the national contest "Gold pyramid 2008" ( ruby pyramid for the prize of environmental housing for the project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg)
2008 Regional prize 2008 for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize of environmental housing 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize "Blue Sky" 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prize of aesthetic property 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
2008 prix de l'immobilier d'entreprise 2008: Silver pyramid for the housing project "les jardins de Flore" in Strasbourg
1990 Local prize of Architecture for the gymnasium of Hoenheim
1989 International prize of architecture Andrea Palladio for theCommunity Centre of Erstein
1987 Award winner of "Architectes à la Une" and prize Mathieu Bachelot
1986 Award winner of the albums of young architecture
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