(With a Focus on Arusha Tanzania. The Aga Khan University, Nairobi.)

The Aga Khan University is developing a Principal Campus in Arusha, Tanzania. As part of its complementary programming, AKU envisioned the development of a university-anchored village with a mixture of uses. In its early planning stages, the Principal Campus Project Team engaged world experts in higher education planning and architectural design. To support the design research phase, AKU initiated an independent research in several areas of design and construction methodologies in East Africa.

The first set of deliverables was an inventory of building characteristics and themes in instructional spaces, residences, athletic and recreational spaces, and civic spaces throughout East Africa. The second set of deliverables provided an inventory of available materials in the region that profiled, sourcing, cost, ease of construction, and other related information.  The East African study area included Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Eco-Build Africa team to completed all the research, while creating long-term relationships for AKU with peer institutions in East Africa. The team work collaboratively with officials from the Aga Khan University Globally, including the Regional Director, Regional Planner, AKU Principal Campus Project Manager, Communications Fellow, and University Village Fellow. Eco-Build also supported the Design team for the university.