Architect of record: Arch.Florent Kayitare, L&F Consultants Ltd.
Design collaborators: Aileen Forbes-Munnelly, Alberto Gullà
Andrea Carlotta Conti, Lorenza Tallarini, Antonello Scala, Valentina Perazzolo

To immerse oneself in the reality of a people who, more than others and in a very short span of time, experienced the atrocities generated by human beings themselves, does not leave one indifferent. It is an experience that scars us for life, reminding us of a fundamental truth: it is for life that we are in this world. The speed of past fury and the rapidity of present healing offer us precious lessons to treasure. This is what architecture must learn: to untie itself from the representations of regimes in order to express the joy of living. The architect has a duty to place humanity back at the center of their universe, with the sensitivity of an artist and the awareness that this universe is shared by all inhabitants of the planet. Every form of life deserves respect, including what we still define as "inanimate" due to a scientific limitation that prevents us from grasping the obvious: everything is animate.
On the shores of the lake that serves as the source of the Nile, in Nyamasheke, we breathed in the beauty of a cultivated land, the richness of the smiles of the youth, and the light of trust in the future. We found what truly moves us: genuine wonder and the will to act. We came here to learn and to share what we do best with the local community. Guided by friends who, having lost their families in the genocide, have committed themselves for many years to the sincerely sustainable growth of the country, we entered into the spirit of the place. With them, we begin a journey that is first and foremost humanitarian, based on mutual trust. Only through authentic human relationships can we transform simple functional spaces into places capable of welcoming the nature of the local environment and its people.
We face the new projects with an enthusiasm guided by multifaceted local ambitions: the desire for a more inclusive life, closer to what the world offers today. We know, however, that today's world—on the brink of an epochal breakdown—brings confusion and opens up new dangers to collective well-being. In this scenario, our attitude compels us to believe that goodness and genuineness are the vaccine architecture needs to help inhabitants discern the paths to happy living. Today more than ever, we seek to fulfill our role: helping the creatures of the world to socialize. There is no better setting than an open territory to make a positive impact with a first, sincere gesture toward a future development attuned to the soul of the place.
In the grace of local craftsmanship, we find the synthesis of a way of seeing life through manual skill. In our "advanced" cities, this wisdom has unfortunately been lost among industrial supply chains, and will soon disappear between the mechanical limbs of androids driven by artificial intelligence. Here in Nyamasheke, we enter the future on the right foot—or at least a respectful one, careful not to trample on local values, which for us represent not only the past but point toward a future of solidarity.
The project and its buildings unroll following the natural contour of the land, leaving the earth permeable to water. Wide, shading roof canopies orient themselves toward the valley and the lake, while the volumes dress themselves in local craftsmanship. We do not perform a mere act of construction; instead, we shape the earth, in both a physical and philosophical sense. We choose to build only with materials and people available on-site, enhancing traditions that adapt to the times. Small two-story volumes allow the community to directly manage the construction, because building must be a shared joy: a home is not its walls, but its people. We build a human world, made by humans for humans, where we can welcome the conditions to improve ourselves.
“LOVE RWANDA” is a project of everyone, for everyone, made by everyone, and lived by everyone. The program includes a school, to prepare young men and women for critical independence in the working world, social commitment, and, above all, to rejoice in life; a hotel, to host travelers, rendering this place even more public and interactive, while offering a real-world training ground for the students; and finally, a multipurpose hall for meetings, congresses, parties, and weddings, conceived to celebrate the important moments of collective life.
The entire complex is structured in eucalyptus wood, a fast-growing local resource that ensures environmental balance, and the project is dimensioned precisely according to the characteristics of this beautiful material. Wherever possible, particularly for the hospitality structures, we build on stilts so as to leave the soil intact and permeable. This building typology minimizes the use of materials without taking away from the expressive and evocative strength of the intervention. The architectural volumes thus place themselves subordinately to the functional, handcrafted panels that clad the buildings, leaving the structure to become a support for the free creativity of the artisan-artist.
The final result is the sincere expression of the pride of a community that sees its own priorities valued. Those of us who come from the outside seek to reflect ourselves in this pride, in order to improve ourselves and extend the utmost respect. This respect is the raw material for building a better and more inclusive world. We start from the people and we end in nature, with nature. “LOVE RWANDA” is not just a project: it is a manifesto.