The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

by Damian Holmes, World Landscape Architecture

Published September 21, 2022

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has a long history in Rwanda and is the world’s largest and longest-running organization focused entirely on gorilla conservation. Its work is founded on the belief that successful and sustainable conservation requires the involvement and engagement of local communities, both human and non-human. This has led their work to combine daily protection of gorillas and scientific research with the training of conservationists and helping local communities. Even with dramatic growth in their programs since they were established in 1967, they continued to operate out of rented facilities that were not built for their unique needs or offer adequate space to support their mission to make gorillas an entry point for a lifetime of conservation activism.

Thanks to a generous lead gift from The Ellen Fund, the Fossey Fund was able to advance its vision for a purpose-built, permanent headquarters in Rwanda. Turning 4,500 square meters of former agricultural land at the edge of Volcanoes National Park into a living laboratory will create a new experience for researchers, tourists, and locals. The campus includes three main structures – the Conservation Gallery, Research Center, and Education Center as well as additional temporary housing structures for researchers and students. Built with locally sourced materials, the campus is a manifestation of the Fund’s mission to conserve and limit its impact on the environment. Beyond the means and methods of construction, the campus achieves this through rainwater harvesting, green roofs, and promoting biodiversity through planting over 250,000 native plants and a constructed wetland to treat wastewater…

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