This project is to design, plan and find funding for the construction of the Birambye Lodge (BL) (“Birambye” means “Sustainability” in Rwanda), to be built near an orphanage in the Western Province of Rwanda, with all profits going towards lodge operation, maintenance and the education and sanitation of the orphans. This building is the first registered USGBC LEED building in Rwanda. The project is described by the following 10 images.
BL is located on an inlet of Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Guests will arrive by boat, where people fish for sambosa and trade goods to local residents.
The ORTPN’s “Tourism Development Strategy for Rwanda” suggests pairing the gorilla-viewing of Volcanoes National Park and the chimpanzees of Nyungwe. The circuit will follow a trip up Lake Kivu with a stop at BL.
Bamboo, abundant, inexpensive, and renewable, will be used in place of wood.
The thin-shell concrete walls covered in thatch act as curtain walls and are 4cm thick as the thin-shell concrete roof will take the vertical structural load.
The thin-shell concrete roof is quieter in the rain than the prevalent sheet metal roofs currently built in Rwanda, and with thatch easily attached to chicken wire on the roof becomes a cool open style, native-like architecture.;
Biogas and biosolids (example from Kigali, Rwanda) will be harvested to provide cooking gas and fertilizer for site gardens, while protecting the ground and surface water.
Water will be extracted from Lake Kivu by direct current PV and stored in a tank providing pressure to the cabins. The water will be made potable by ultra-violet disinfection.
Energy needs for Birambye Lodge will be met by biogas, photovoltaic, and wind.
Genocide and AIDS contribute to a growing population of orphans- the most important aspect of BL. This project will provide education and opportunities for employment for the orphans.
Overall Goals
- Provide the resources for the community at hand to be self sufficient; economically, socially, and environmentally.
- Actively listen to the community in need and collaborate with their input on the planning and development of the project.
- Quantify and qualify building capacity and act as a steward to the environment by redefining the profit of the “Triple Bottom Line”.
- Apply sustainable materials and technologies to all projects.
- Expand awareness of the local, regional, and collective culture of each community project through collaboration with organizations devoted to a sustainable triple bottom line.
