Ryico Project, Kigali, Rwanda 2012
Informal Housing Planning
Growth of Kigali City, Affordability & Environmental Impacts:
As Kigali (Rwanda’s capital city) continues to grows, its impact on the local environment will increase; rising consumption and the resulting waste production could have serious detrimental impacts within the city and its surroundings if left unchecked.
The Ryico Project:
The Ryico project focused on raising awareness of the potential for urban expansion to generate deleterious trends & side-effects, and tackling the origins of some of these via the provision of local, affordable and durable materials for use in the construction of housing.
The project was about reducing the risk of danger through safe design and construction methods, and limiting the production of construction waste by adopting a more economic construction strategy. Material research, city planning within the existing boundary and affordable joinery design were key facets of the work carried out.
Design:
As can be seen from the plans shown here, residential buildings were designed to include for several bedrooms so that multiple people could be housed with communal facilities located nearby.
Making the most efficient use of space helps to keep costs low and reduce the rate of urban expansion (thereby alleviating resource demand).
