Enveloped by the ForestA library among the trees

In Rubagabaga, Rwanda, the “Enveloped by the Forest” library is a design proposal developed with Journeyman International, alongside Empowering Villages and Afritech Energy, which is building a hydroelectric plant in the valley.

The project starts from a simple idea: use what is already on site. Trees cut for the power plant works are reused as structural trunks and form an envelope around the building. It lets users see, hear and smell the forest, blurring the line between inside and outside.

At the centre, a core of earth bricks and timber frames supports, together with the trunks, a grid of beams and a bamboo roof opened by a skylight. Timber modules of 50 × 50 cm become shelves, seats and window frames in turn, easy to replicate without heavy machinery or complex techniques.

Between the core and the envelope, a covered outdoor gallery hosts reading, play, performances and gatherings. Openings are set at different heights for ventilation, light and humidity control.

Drawing on Rwandan vernacular architecture, the proposal favours the earth, timber and bamboo available on site: materials suited to the climate, durable and, at the end of their cycle, returning to nature.