rafael 🇬🇭

Rwanda keeps raising the bar, and this distillery at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes in Musanze is the latest proof. Virunga Mountain Spirits is a women-led company, and its 1,100 square meter headquarters was designed by BE_Design with the land in mind. Thick volcanic stone walls, shaped by hand, wrap the offices, bottling room, kitchen, bar, tasting room and gift shop. At the centre is a glass room holding a 10 meter copper and stainless steel vodka still, so visitors can watch the spirit being made. The design draws on the volcanoes and on Imigongo patterns, and the stone helps regulate the temperature inside. Most of the materials were sourced locally. So was the workforce, with an average of 35% women, who got on-site training, good pay, savings accounts and construction skills they can use on the next job. It sits on the road where farmers ride downhill on bicycles loaded with goods and tourists drive up to see the gorillas, so it serves both. It won the jury and popular choice awards for low cost design at the 2025 Architizer A+ Awards, and the listed budget was between $500,000 and $1 million. Local stone. Local hands. A building that leaves the community with skills it keeps. Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda · Architecture: BE_Design (Bruce Engel) · 2025 · 1,100 m² · Builder: Rwanda Village Enterprises · Client: Virunga Mountain Spirits · Photography: Bruce Engel