One&Only Gorilla’s Nest Project
From a neglected terrain to a luxury resort
We have planted the resort with plants that thrive as houseplants in our country - ficus, arrowroot, bamboo, eucalyptus, anthurium, henna, philodendrons...
The One&Only Gorilla’s Nest area is located on the slopes of Virunga Volcano in Kinigi, Rwanda. The area is irregular in shape (790x650m) and its previous purpose as a golf course has left its mark in the local green glades and young eucalyptus forests.
The area, being located so close to the Equator, is characterized by a pleasant tropical-mountainous climate that conditions the diversity and richness of vegetation.
Several zones for different purposes have been designed. At the entrance zone, it was necessary to design a representative entrance roundabout with a water element and the so-called boma.
Boma for gorilla related manifestations
A boma is a circular form where manifestations dedicated to gorillas took place. The largest gorillas on the endangered species list can only be found in this part of Rwanda and nearby, across the border, in the Republic of Congo. Gorillas live below a volcano. They are in danger of extinction because only 15 gorilla families live there. Some can be seen up close, others must not be approached. Another problem present - gorilla poachers.
In the young eucalyptus forest, we designed an adventure park at different height levels, which is suspended on tall eucalyptus trees.
The main restaurant is located on a clearing with views of parts of the resort, surrounded by a rose garden containing several old rose varieties, and a herb and vegetable garden.
In addition to different types of villas, there is also a swimming pool and spa area, where, in addition to designing the outer zone, we also designed the inner atrium garden of the spa zone
Part of the project task was to typologically design roundabouts on the roads within the resort and to develop different types of fences as graded buffer zones.
