Nyungwe Lodge is located in Southwest Rwanda and is set amongst the rich tea-plantations of Gisakura, on the edge of the iconic Nyungwe National Park. The park itself covers approximately 1020 km² of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps and bogs, and is one of the last mountain rainforest habitats on the planet.
HM Design provided full services – from Conceptual Master Plan to Construction Documents. The site plan includes four different types of villas, tree houses, conference center, wellness center, nature activity center, tree houses, library, back of house buildings and trails. The principles of form, landscaping, and colour have been given particular attention in addressing issues such as physical and cultural context. Local Rwandese architectural building typology inspired the Landscape Architectural Pavilions and the main landscape design concepts were derived from either patterns present in the forest or cultural artifacts eg. Arrival Court includes fountains from traditional pots. Landscape materials proposed are all locally sourced – volcanic stone, brick, eucalyptus poles, thatch, pots etc. The project was under construction when Dubai World hijacked the project. The lodge is currently being operated by the luxury operator – One and Only.
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