Ruhehe Primary School

Raskin features the transformation of a Rwandan facility by MASS Design Group's African Design Centre, a model for local education. The idea that thoughtful, integrated architecture is too laborious and expensive to provide to other small nonprofits motivated the Boston-based MASS to prove otherwise; it started a kind of educational and apprenticeship arm in Africa, where much of the firm's work is located. Ruhehe is the third primary school that MASS has completed in Rwanda since the country expanded access to education, having eliminated school fees in 2006. The architects think they now have a model for school infrastructure that supports the district's goals, increasing student retention and improving learning outcomes.