The Ellen DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Fund

Honor Award

General Design

Kinigi, Musanze District, Rwanda
MASS Design Group
TENxTEN
Client: Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

A Campus for Conservation Activism

A purpose-built campus, designed and constructed to amplify the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s mission to conserve, protect, and study mountain gorillas.

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Virunga National Park

The campus location was identified strategically to sit on the edge of the future Virunga National Park expansion.

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Education, research, and testing

The design transforms the site into a rewilded natural ecosystem alongside space for education, research, and testing.

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Campus Aerial

The landscape emulates the native ecologies found in the Virunga National Park to create an immersive education experience and productive habitat.

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Architecture & Landscape Integration

Each of the buildings is designed in relationship to the landscape, integrating a physical and visual connection to nature.

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Entry Thresholds

Thresholds into the buildings celebrate the connection to the landscape by integrating local, custom fabricated pavers and planting into each space.

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Outdoor Assembly

An outdoor assembly space at the center of the campus forms a connective link between the campus buildings and trails.

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Gorilla Garden

Interpretive paths allow for visitors to explore and expand their education of gorilla habitats and reforestation efforts.

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Biodiversity Trail

Biodiversity trails allow for first-had education and experience by sequentially linking spaces across the campus where site ecologies intersect.

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Interpretive Elements

Interpretive elements within the site help to education visitors about conservation and inspire unique interaction.

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Sustainable Systems

The campus employs sustainable design via green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and a constructed wetland which is the first of its kind in the country.

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Reforestation & Propagation

Researchers and biologists use the nursery to study reforestation techniques to further strengthen local methods of biodiversity regeneration.

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Locally Sourced Materials

The project invested $15M in the economy of Rwanda through labor and regionally sourced materials pipelines.

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Training Researchers

The campus offers a first-hand educational opportunity for students and visitors seeking to become the next generation of conservationists.

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Biodiversity Monitoring

Over 300,000 native plants were sourced and propagated for the campus landscape, most which, were not found within the local market.

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Project Impact

The 12-acre campus is a significant investment that anchors the region as a conservation hub for ecological preservation and education in Rwanda.

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“

Lovely and a timeless project! The design wonderfully demonstrates an incredible utilization of local materials, detailing and craft. A really artful engagement with local materials, methods and plant species to create a fitting environment for the campus.

”

- 2025 Awards Jury

Project Credits

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Project Client/Owner

The Ellen Fund, Project Client

TEN x TEN Studio, Landscape Architects

Transsolar, Sustainability/Environmental Engineers

BuroHappold Engineers, Engineering (MEFP/Technical Advisory)

Oak Consulting Group, Civil Engineering (Technical Advisory)

AEGIS Development Solutions, Quantity Surveyors

TECHNO Engineering Company, ICT / Security

Local Projects, Exhibit Design, concepts

Formula D Interactive, Exhibit Fabricators

HabitatXR, 360 Immersive Theater

Sherwood Design Engineers, Constructed Wetland

Jacques Nsengiyumva, Constructed Wetland

Sheffield, Kitchen/Cafe

MASS.Build, MASS Design Group, Construction

MASS.Made, MASS Design Group, Furniture Design & Fabrication

MASS Design Group, Exhibit Design, Schematic through Installation

MASS Design Group, Project Management, Architecture Design, Landscape Design, Civil/Geotechnical/Structural Engineering, Film and Media

Project Statement

The loss of biodiversity caused by climate change and urbanization is expected to lead to the extinction of over one million species. The critically-endangered mountain gorilla of Rwanda is particularly susceptible to these threats.

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Fund, situated at the foot of the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa, is designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for gorilla research, educate and inspire visitors, and test ecologically driven techniques for biodiversity conservation, rewilding, and reforestation of the five Afromontane ecologies that comprise the gorilla territory. The campus serves as a living laboratory and an outdoor classroom to train future generations of African conservationists.

Project Narrative

A Research-Driven Campus Opening in 2022, a purpose-built campus covering 5 hectares at the base of Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park provides the Dian Fossey Fund with a permanent home to engage local communities–both human and non-human–in their conservation mission. With the construction of this new campus, the world's largest and longest-running organization dedicated entirely to gorilla conservation will be enabled to further support, protect, and study gorillas, train the next generation of African conservationists, and increase the ecological resilience of local communities.

The campus consists of state-of-the-art facilities for education, outreach, research, and housing. The buildings and campus are built from locally sourced materials and utilize sustainable construction methods to conserve resources and minimize environmental impact. The campus integrates rainwater harvesting, green roofs, acres of reforestation, and a constructed wetland to treat wastewater and promote biodiversity.

Biodiversity and Resilience Straddling the equator at an 'ecological crossroads' in central Africa, where three bio-geographic regions intersect, the Virunga National Park supports an exceptional diversity of habitat types. Sitting at the base of the Virunga Mountains, the campus serves as a test for the Rwandan government's plan to expand the park's boundary by 1 km along its entire border to invest in the richness of this biodiversity, as well as to reduce the overlap between human and gorilla territories.

The design transforms an agricultural plot overgrown with invasive Eucalyptus trees into a reforested landscape that supports four native ecologies found in the park: mixed Afromontane forest, Arundinaria bamboo forest, Hagenia-Hypericum forest, and Afromontane meadow. In a country with no commercial plant nurseries, over 250,000 native plants were collected, propagated, and planted from key ecological zones for the campus.

A Gateway to Conservation Three interpretive trails encourage visitors to experience the Fossey Fund’s work firsthand. The Gorilla Garden trail leads visitors through typical foraging and resting movements of gorillas, allowing them to experience the sensory and tactile qualities of their natural environment. The Biodiversity Trail showcases the different habitats within the surrounding mountain range, providing opportunities for researchers to monitor the evolution of local plants and the potential effects of climate change right on campus. The Wetland Trail circumnavigates the wastewater treatment wetland, interpreting the complex engineered system and engaging visitors with the explosion of biodiversity thriving in the wetland.

The trails provide interactive opportunities for visitors to engage with the campus and experience a day in the life of a gorilla. A large amphitheater at the heart of campus provides space for lectures, demonstrations, and gatherings. Porches made of volcanic stone, with low seat walls and custom wood seating, are integrated into each building to provide both public and private-facing spaces for visitors to socialize and observe the volcanoes above the campus.

The mission of the project is to create spaces to engage the many stakeholders in conservation – students, scientists, tourists, partners, community members – to advance the goal of saving gorillas. Today, the campus blossoms with wildlife and is a living laboratory for researchers and students who leave inspired to make a difference.

Products

Furniture
- Volcanic bench Volcanic, Volcanic stones: sourced locally (Musanze)
- Volcanic benches with wooden top, Volcanic stones: sourced locally (Musanze), Wood: Teak wood sourced in the region (Tanzania)
- Boulder seat, Volcanic boulders sourced on site
- Outdoor Furniture, Wood: Teak wood sourced in the region (Tanzania), Cushions textile: Donated Pillows: produced and sourced in the country (Kigali), Metal frames: sourced in the country (Kigali)
Drainage/Erosion
- Lined retention ponds, Stones: volcanic stones sourced locally on site, Liner: SIKA Cemflex Sourced in the region (Kenya)
- Infiltration retention ponds, Soil and laterite from site.
- Vegetated swales, Soil and laterite from site
- Swales, Volcanic stones, soil and laterite from site
- Stone channels, Volcanic stones from site
Fences/Gates/Walls
- Gate: Metal Gate, Manufactured on site from locally sourced metal.
- Clear Vue fence, Pre-made fence sourced from South Africa
- Clear Vue fence, Native vines planted on the fence
- Wire mesh fence, Fence and post sourced locally
- Wire mesh fence, Native vines planted on the fence
Parks/Recreation Equipment
- Bike racks, Metal bike rack fabricated on site and sourced locally.
Green Roofs/Living Walls
- Building green roofs, Soil medium: Sourced and mixed on site
- Building green roofs, Plants: sourced locally (Musanze)
Soils
- Green roof medium, Soil medium: Sourced and mixed on site
- Green roof medium, Plants: sourced locally (Musanze)
- Indoor planter soil, Soil: available on site
- Indoor planter soil, Aggregate: crushed from volcanic stones on site
Hardscape
- Volcanic pavers pathways, Pavers & Curbs: Sourced locally (Musanze)
- Aggregate pathways, Volcanic Aggregate: Sourced and crushed on siteAggregate pathways, Curbs: Volcanic stones sourced and shaped on site
- Concrete pavers pathways, Concrete pavers & curbs: Produced and sourced locally.
Lighting
- Street lights, Sourced on the continent (South Africa)
- Bollard lights, Sourced on the continent (South Africa)
- Upright lights, Sourced on the continent (South Africa)
Other
- Site signage, Wooden poles: Sourced locally (Musanze)
- Site signage, Metal plates: Produced in the country (Kigali)
- Dustbins / Trash receptacles, Produced and sourced Locally

Plant List

Acanthus pubescens
Albizia gummifera
Albizia Schimperiana
Alchemira cryptanta
Basela alba
Begonia meyeri-johannis
Blechnum Tabulare
Brillantaisia cicatricosa
Carapa grandiflora
Carduus nyassanus
Carex bequaertii
Carex conferte
Carex runesorensis
Chrysopogon Nigritanus
Clerodendron johnstonii
Clutia abyssinica
Crassocephalum ducis-aprutii
Crassula graviinkii
Crotalaria mesopontica
Croton megalocarpus
Cyathea Manniana
Cynodon dactylon
Cynoglossum amplifolium
Cyperus denudatus
Cyperus difformis
Cyphostemma bambussetti
Discopodium penninervum
Dombeya goetzenii
Draceana afromontana
Droguetia iners
Drynaria Laurentii
Dryopteris pentheri
Eriocaulon schimperi
Erythrina abyssinica
Festuca abyssinica
Galiniera coffeoides
Galium ruwensoriense
Geranium aculeolatum
Girardinia bullosa
Gynura scandens
Hagenia abyssinica
Helichrysum mildbraedii
Helichrysum nudifolium
Hypericum humberti
Hypericum revolutum
Hypolepis sparsisora
Impatiens burtonnii
Ipomoea involucrata
Juncus effusus
Kigalia africana
Kyllinga appendiculata
Laportea Alatipes
Leucus deflexa
Lindernia subracemosa
Lobelia giberroa
Lobelia stuhlmanii
Lycopodiella Cernua
Macaranga capensis
Maesa lanceolata
Mariscus karisimbiensis
Mimulopsis arborescens
Mimulopsis solmsii
Neobutonia macrocalyx
Panicum hymeniochilum
Pavetta rwandensis
Pennisetum clandestinum
Pentas zanzibarica
Peucedanum linderi
Pilea bambuseti
Piper capense
Plagiochila colorans
Plantago palmata
Plectranthus lanuginosus
Pleopeltis excavatus
Polyscias fulva
Presicaria senegalensis
Prunus africana
Psychotria mahonii
Pycnostachys goetzenii
Rubus Kirungesis
Rumex bequaertii
Scadoxus multiflorus
Schefflera kivuensis
Secamone africana
Selaginella knacusiana
Senecio manni
Senecio maranguensis
Senecio Marietta
Senecio trichopterygius
Stachys aculeolata
Stephania abyssinica
Syzygium guineense
Tabernaemontana stapfiana
Uebelinia kivuensis
Urera lypsolodendron
Urtica massaica
Vernonia abyssinica
Viola abysinnica
Xymalos monospora
Yushania alpina