Virunga Mountain Spirits distiller, located in the rural northern province of Rwanda, will produce vodka from potatoes and is designed to be a tourist destination.  The building features a reception and retail space, tasting room, restaurant and bar area, outdoor seating space, and a distillery room that will also be available for tours.

The project is being constructed with as much locally sourced materials as possible. The exterior of the fired clay brick walls will be cladded with volcanic stones and a nearly thirteen-meter-high curtain wall is constructed of a steel frame and filled with a combination of glass and polycarbonate.  We employ a local workforce and maintain an average of 40% female representation and provided on-site skilled labor training, living wages, PPE and safety equipment, and marketable construction skills. The project will be under construction for approximately 12 months.

Client:                                 Virunga Mountain Spirits Ltd

Location:                             Musanze, Rwanda

Completion:                        Projected to be completed August 2024

Project Size:                        569 m²; Covered area – 1,235 m²

Category:                           Manufacturing, Food Service, and Retail

Construction Cost:                $695,000

Architect:                            BE Design