The Ellen DeGeneres Campus: A Volcanic Sanctuary for Conservation

Nestled in the volcanic foothills of Rwanda, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus is more than a headquarters, it is a living laboratory designed to secure the future of the mountain gorilla. Designed by MASS Design Group, this sprawling facility mimics the forest canopy and uses volcanic stone to create a seamless transition between the human world and the wild.

This project represents the pinnacle of the "Lo-Fab" (Locally Fabricated) philosophy applied at a global scale. While the name carries Hollywood weight, the architecture is deeply grounded in Rwandan soil. By employing over 2,400 local builders and using stone excavated directly from the site, MASS Design Group proves that "world-class" architecture does not need to be imported; it can be grown, harvested, and built by the community it serves.

The Vision: Tents in the Mist

Fifty-five years ago, primatologist Dian Fossey pitched a tent in the forest to live among the gorillas. That humble immersion inspired the architecture of this 12-acre campus.

The design breaks down the institutional scale into a series of pavilions that feel like an extension of the landscape. Three main buildings anchor the site: the Sandy and Harold Price Research Center, the Rob and Melani Walton Education Center, and the Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery.

Instead of a single monolithic block, the buildings follow the natural topography. Generous patios and "campfire" gathering spaces encourage interaction between scientists, students, and visitors, echoing the intimacy of Fossey’s original camp at Karisoke. The goal is to "break the boundary", guiding visitors from being passive observers to active participants in conservation.

Tectonics: Harvested from the Volcano

The campus sits at the base of the seismically active Virunga Mountains, requiring robust engineering that respects the local vernacular.

Volcanic Stone: During excavation, the team uncovered massive amounts of volcanic rock. Instead of hauling this away as waste, it was crushed and reused for grout, gravel, and, most strikingly, the rubble-stone walls that define the campus aesthetic.
Seismic Safety: Rwanda-based engineers designed ductile reinforced concrete cores to withstand earthquakes, clad in that local stone to ground the modern structure in ancient geology.
Hand-Crafted Interiors: MASS Design Group designed over 1,600 pieces of custom furniture, all produced by local artisans. Details are deeply symbolic, such as batik throw pillows patterned with the actual nose prints of the gorillas studied by the fund.

The Living Building: Rewilding the Land

Before construction, this site was a degraded agricultural plot. The project’s goal was not just to build on the land, but to heal it.

Reforestation: The landscape design by TenXTen and MASS involved propagating and planting over 250,000 native plants. This created a new mini-ecosystem that extends the habitat of the adjacent National Park, serving as a research site for reforestation strategies.
Green Roofs: The buildings are topped with green roof canopies that sequester carbon and blend the structures into the forest when viewed from above.
Water Autonomy: A constructed wetland, the first gravity-fed system of its kind in Rwanda, filters wastewater naturally through a series of ponds. Rainwater is harvested from the expansive roofs for reuse, ensuring the campus gives back more to the ecosystem than it takes.

Data Sheet