Living with drought prone landscapes

Abstract

Global warming exerts varied impacts across diverse regions worldwide, manifesting in distinct consequences such as floods, landslides, droughts, soil biodiversity loss, salinization, etc. Rwanda is one of these many cases.
Located in tropical Central Africa, the country mainly experiences landslides due to extreme and irregular precipitations. Nevertheless, global warming assumes disparate forms in the eastern region of the country.
In the plateau region inhabited by communities like the town of Ryabega, the predominant challenge arises from recurrent droughts. These climatic disturbances significantly disrupt the agricultural cycle, upon which these communities heavily rely for food subsistence and livelihoods. The intensification of agricultural practices exacerbates this vulnerability, as deforestation, soil degradation, and the application of chemical fertilizers diminish landscape resilience.
By adapting an arid water system and implementing nature-based solutions, bioclimatic architecture and resilient landscape strategies, the project seeks to develop a rain and dry seasons mitigation system that connects communities back to their landscape and unique topography. Through water and humidity conservation, soil moisture and drinking water access, the project aspires to be locally sourced and built to ameliorate the town’s water and economic autonomy as well as its vulnerability to global warming.
Furthermore, beyond its immediate scope, this graduation thesis serves as a catalyst for exploring new design possibilities applicable to the adjacent towns and landscapes.