PR199 Innovative Practice Ellen Degeneres 2024

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus provides cutting-edge gorilla research, education and conservation facilities, serving as a model for biodiversity protection and community engagement in the face of climate change. Situated at the base of the Virunga Mountains in East-Central Africa, The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is an initiative that addresses the urgent threats facing the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The 12-acre campus, completed in 2022, serves as a hub for gorilla research, education and conservation efforts, using state-of-the-art facil- ities and innovative techniques to protect biodiversity and engage local communities. The campus has been designed as a laboratory and classroom in response to the biodiversity loss caused by climate change and urbanization. It provides an avenue for testing new techniques for biodiversity conserva- tion, rewilding and reforestation of the gorilla territory. Local labour and materials were used throughout design and construction to minimize the carbon foot- print, develop an immersive reforested landscape, and ensure job training and economic return to the local community while creating a modern facility for public use and education. GOVERNANCE DIVERSITY CONTEXT SENSE OF PLACE BEAUTYFUNCTIONALITY ENVIRONMENT ECONOMYGEOLOCATION Kinigi, Musanze District, Rwanda TIMEFRAME Completed in 2022 PRESENTED BY MASS Design GroupHIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DAVOS BAUKULTUR QUALITY SYSTEM Definitions Photographer: Iwan Baan INNOVATIVE PRACTICE: The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund 2