OPENING DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION: 1ST2011

The past Friday, June 24^th 2011, the semester’s exhibition series were inaugurated, with the previous semester‘s best works. 1^st 2011 was the name of the event that hosted design studio’s projects from all years.

The students housing in KIST campus, developed by the third year’s was represented by the work of the teams composed by: Jean de Dieu and Lambert  and Thierry and Aloys.

The second year’s presented a Public Library project with works of Jean PAUL BIGIRIMANA, Flavia GWIZA and Emmanuel HAVUGIMANA 

The first year design studio was represented by the works of KAYIJUKA eric,NDAYAMBAJE J.damascene,AMAHORO eunyce,Olga,JMV,Fatumah,Vianey,Victor and Aziz.

The exhibition was a huge success and students were amazed about the work of their colleagues, that encouraged them to improve and work harder in further studios.

This was a good starting point for the exhibition series we hope to keep it up and see more works in future events!

LECTURE: LEARNING FROM MOMBASA

This semester the 3rd year students of architecture went to Mombasa, with the scope to develop a research on the Swahili architecture. The department of architecture has organized this Traveling studio to learn from the urban fabric and the Swahili architecture of the sea port city. The learning outcomes of the trip were the starting point to develop the second semester project. The program of a building inserted in a rich preexisting context, with a rich religious and cultural heritage of an UNESCO metropolitan landscape, it has to learn from a sustainable local construction, shifting ecologies and varied civic and community environment.

Once back home, third year design studio organized a public lecture for Kist staff, FAED students and some outside guests. The presentation was focused in the trip, the perceptions and sensations of its protagonists and on architectural concepts.

The leit motive were the preliminary studies on 3 specific sites that will be further developed  during the semester during design studio. The students shared their experiences and learning outcomes had during the week of the trip.

Vice rector Academics, Prof. John S. Mshana took time to attentively see the students work, and he kindly appreciated both faculty staff and students for the good presentations exhibited.

The introduction and guidance of Prof.Tomà Berlanda drive the audience throughout the trip and gave them the atmosphere of the trip, some entertaining stories and information took during the travel.

All students who spoke on behalf of their colleagues took time to shear their experiences in terms of architecture and social life. The third year’s also shared their impressions taken from different population, landscapes and cities along the three different eastern African countries crossed (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania).

As FAED students, we want to thank KIST administration for the continued support rendered to us.

OPENING OF 2ND SEMESTER ARCBOX EXHIBITION SERIES

The arcbox, a ship container reconverted into the gallery for the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design of Rwanda, was first inaugurated on March, 24^th 2011. The purpose of this reinvented space is to provide students of FAED and KIST, as well as the community in Kigali with a place to foster creativity, innovation and architectural culture.

From now on, the Architecture Lecture Series students will be responsible of keeping it alive. Every Friday a new exhibition will start, that will last for one or two weeks.

WORKSHOP: STREETSCAPE, KIGALI

In May 2011, during the 2 weeks period between semesters at KIST (9th-20th May), FAED (faculty of architecture and environment design) in collaboration with the Kigali City planning, organized a workshop ‘Kigali streetscape workshop’, which the realization might be refunded by the Kigali City planning.
The workshop was envisioned to survey the area between the Centreville roundabout and KIST campus, seek out and research applicable precedents, and finally, propose a design that could help to define a new face for Kigali along the Avenue de la revolution, or propose a variety of viable and applicable streetscape alternatives that could implemented here or in other parts of the city.
This workshop proposes that a street can be designed to support the various aspirations through manipulation of traffic, integration of transport systems, programming of sidewalks to include areas of passive and active recreation, leisure, or commerce, and through landscaping/street furnishing to support this programming.

The rethinking of the streetscape of the Avenue de la revolution was posed as a problem for research and design by the Kigali city planning, actively seeking the input of the faculty and students of the department of architecture, in the faculty of architecture and environment design. During this workshop, the studio meets different guests to help them to develop the design; Donna Rubinoff – director of Kigali center for the urban planning, Lama Mugabo, Tim Hall.

12 students in the department of architecture was involved in this workshop; Ntigulirwa Marie Amelie, Mpfizi Richard, Nyilimana Lambert, Murwanashyaka Shaffy Assouman, Nshimiyimana Aloys, Ntayoberwa Eric, Bigirimana Jean Paul, Twizerimana Alain Yves, Uzabakiriho Jean Jaul, Nduwamungu Darius, Kayeye Patrick, Isabane René
And 3 instructors was involved; Toma Berlanda, Nerea Amorós Elorduy, Sierra Bainbridge.