ASA seeks to reinterpret the traditional Rwandan vernacular of brick-based, modular structures that can be adapted to Rwanda’s different terrains and topographies. Further, the buildings are designed to serve multiple purposes beyond just a school; community centers, adult education and more.
ASA education and development centers work to reverse decades of structural inequality that denied rural Rwandans the educational opportunities more readily available to their urban counterparts.
ASA is a commercial practice, but most of their clientele are international relief agencies and NGOs, including UNICEF Rwanda, Plan International Rwanda, and others. It was founded in 2012 by Nerea Amoros Elorduy and Toma Berlanda, and since 2014 is run by Zeno Riondato, Francesco Stassi and Alice Tasca. The three current principals actively teach at the School of Architecture, College of Science and Technology at UR Kigali, and many of the projects involve architectural students at some level.
We spoke with Alice Tasca and Toma Berlanda of Active Social Architecture on the subject of how design approach can mitigate inequality on Social Design Insights. Listen to Episode 14 | Combining Ancient Traditions and Contemporary Social Design here.