Bujumbura 2050: A New Design Matrix
University of British Columbia
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Landscape Architecture VI
Design Studio Thesis
Thesis: Yilang Karen Kang and Lys Divine Ndemeye
Advisor: Fionn Byrne
Description:
The history of vertical living has been continuously and dynamically evolving in parallel with the history of urban development. As African cities are continuously experiencing rapid urban growth, foreign-driven, mega-urban projects are radically shifting the physical, socio-cultural and economic makeup of these emerging cities. A major shortcoming of these projects is their inability to account for the spirit and specific phenomenology of the place in which they are built.
Bujumbura 2050-A New Design Matrix rejects this placeless, global urbanist approach, and develops a design strategy that engages and sustains local identity, culture and phenomenology. This project asks: What will be the optimal urban block typologies for meeting the socio-cultural, economic and environmental demands of Bujumbura 2050? Using the principles of relational urbanism, urban ecology and incrementalism, the proposed solution transforms an existing golf course into a dense, flexible, multi-functional urban block which enriches the existing urban fabric of Bujumbura.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/ef37166b-5d2e-4b71-a618-49194793931a_rw_3840.jpg?h=015d04cb3e010a42039c8397a81290ea)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/fef1b774-61cf-4517-abc7-d80a686c6a13_rw_3840.jpg?h=e47eb9f551e8f9e24cefc28aae93a711)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/e7f46135-f4d2-4c0b-821c-c3eb0089de70_rw_3840.jpg?h=203cf352d75b62697c0cc2e65cb90e0e)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/200cd469-31ef-46cd-a53d-190ef3d4ab78_rw_3840.jpg?h=3e154a9447724cd2a8c016a9376631f1)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/cb10c39d-b28c-4ff4-ab0d-01b2e78fb51d_rw_3840.jpg?h=e5a20f815c187d568caa5af51a8d850c)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/201bbbcf00a6c2a6d3dc2a7eb5fd5f71/ac97ef86-5142-4ee0-b596-10782d231b70_rw_3840.jpg?h=8836dc715faa76da5e3f38ce0079bb01)
Image Credits, Yilang Karen Kang and Lys Divine Ndemeye.