The heart of the building is the distillery room centrally located in a transparent / semi transparent volume providing abundant natural light, showcasing the beautifully engineered 10 meter (30 foot) tall copper and stainless steel vodka still. In contrast, thick hand shaped volcanic rock walls wrap the central distillery space and house all the other supporting functions for staff and visitors including offices, bottling room, storage, kitchen, bar, tasting room, reception and gift shop. The building’s geometry honors the strength and significance of the surrounding volcanoes and reflects traditional Rwandan patterns of the lmigongo art form that adorn the neighboring structures along this busy road up to the Volcanoes National Park.

The distillery was constructed with the vast majority of materials being locally sourced. With our long time building partners we employed a local workforce and maintained an average 35% female representation, providing on-site skilled labor training, good income & savings accounts, and marketable construction skills leaving a lasting positive impact in the area.