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, in collaboration with local Architect of Record, provided full services – from Conceptual Design 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 Architectural forms and the main concepts have all been derived from either patterns present in the forest or cultural artifacts eg. the floor plans of the main villas resemble the spiral energy embodied in a young forest fern. Materials proposed are all locally sourced – volcanic stone, brick, wood shingles, eucalyptus poles, local mats and 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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“This is a collection of my life’s work featuring eco-designs of Ecolodges, Residential Houses; eco-planning of Sustainable Tourism Destinations and green designs of Office buildings and Cultural Centers. Browse this web-site and experience some of the most environmentally and socially friendly projects on the planet.” – Hitesh Mehta
