Irish architect Killian Doherty nominated for Architects for Humanity award

The Football for Hope centre in Rwanda, designed by Irish architect Killian Doherty, has been nominated as Education Building of the Year 2012 by Architects for Humanity in San Francisco.

The community building is in one of the most densely populated and most disadvantaged areas of the capital city, Kigali. It opened last year and is the only one of Fifa’s 20 Centres for 2010 – a campaign to create 20 such centres for public health, education and football across Africa – to be nominated. The organization uses football as a tool for reconciliation, but also to facilitate life skills training and education for Rwandan youth. The centre is located within the heart of the Kimisagara valley; the most densely populated, disadvantaged area in central Kigali with few opportunities for young people and alarming school dropout rates.

The centre is run by Esperance, a youth organisation using football as a tool for reconciliation and conflict resolution. The brick-built building has a dramatic canopy roof that not only harnesses water but also acts as a communal outdoor space. The containers used to transport the pitch were recycled as a water tower and a storage facility. With 4,000 children attending the adjoining school, the aim of the centre is to help their literary and sporting skills, enhance their self-confidence and improve public-health awareness.

Killian Doherty | Architectural Practice website: http://www.killianthearchitect.org/