A Day in Kigali with MASS Design Group and Rwandan Ladies in Architecture's Sylvie Dufitimana
Portrait by Roger Biziyaremye. Courtesy of MASS Design Group.
Sylvie, a licensed architect with a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Rwanda, is an architect at MASS Design Group and serves as Communication Manager for the Global Health Corps Alumni Rwanda Forum. Passionate about empowering women, she co-founded Rwandan Ladies in Architecture to mentor female students and promote architectural awareness in Rwanda. Sylvie’s award-winning design in the 2020 Kigali Outdoor Public Bench Competition underscores her commitment to creating impactful public spaces. Her day involves coordinating with MASS’s Boston-based landscape team, a short ice cream break, and winding down with craft projects.
Sylvie sketching. Photography by Roger Biziyaremye. Courtesy of MASS Design Group.
7:00am: I am not a morning person, so I have to put an alarm on my phone in order to wake up. After I’m awake, I say a short prayer and read through messages that came in from the night before.
7:25am: I start my mornings with a quick stretch in my room, followed by a bath. I live with a friend, and since we’re both busy, we usually skip breakfast at home and go straight to the office. This is quite different from my childhood. I come from a family of five girls, and I’m the third. Our parents always took care of us, making sure we had breakfast — usually porridge — before leaving the house. Those mornings were filled with care and attention, a tradition that still means a lot to me.
8:15am: I drive to the office, MASS Design Group’s Kigali office. Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, is a vibrant, fast-growing city with a population of 1.29M. Its beauty and character are defined by its natural topography, earning Rwanda the nickname "Land of a Thousand Hills." Kigali is also renowned as the cleanest and safest city in Africa.
8:45am: Once I arrive at the office, I start my day with a glass of water and either tea or coffee. Then I plan my day, checking my emails and Slack messages to catch up on ongoing projects and communications.
9:30am: This morning my focus is on the Mengo Pediatric Center, a renovation project in Uganda. I’m part of the landscape design team, and our scope includes creating new access to the hospital and designing the landscaping around the building.
Working as an architect on the landscape team is a significant milestone for me as I've always been eager to learn about the relationship between buildings and their surroundings. I initially joined MASS in 2021 as a Global Health Corps Fellow, first working with the furniture team. I transitioned to the architecture team recently, but my desire to explore the connection between buildings and landscapes has remained strong.
Sylvie having lunch in the office. Photography by Roger Biziyaremye. Courtesy of MASS Design Group.
12:30pm: Lunch is a time to relax a little. I usually go to a nearby restaurant with colleagues or bring food from home to eat in the office kitchen. Thursdays are special here because we have a "Lunch and Learn" every two weeks. The whole office gathers to enjoy a meal while attending a presentation by someone who wants to share something interesting. Most of the time, presenters are guest speakers from outside our office, giving us a chance to connect with new people.
It’s refreshing to have these conversations and also strengthens our connections as co-workers. After lunch, I take a small break to check my favorite apps — WhatsApp and Instagram
1:30pm: Back at the office, I prepare for afternoon meetings with our landscape team. At MASS, we have different studios, and the landscape team is part of the LandMASS Studio, which is based in Boston. I’m based in Kigali, working on local projects, so due to the time zone difference, most of my coordination with the rest of the team happens in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, I shift my focus to my second project. Jacaranda Health is leading a maternal and newborn service delivery redesign initiative across key hospitals in Kakamega County, Kenya. As part of the landscape team, our scope involves creating a new master plan that incorporates new buildings and access points, as well as designing courtyard areas, labor walkways, and healing gardens. All while prioritizing the restoration of the site’s biodiversity
4:30pm: Once a week, my colleagues and I enjoy a short ice cream break.
5:45pm: I finish up the day’s work, reviewing my tasks for tomorrow to prioritize important deadlines.
Sylvie with her colleagues. Photography by Roger Biziyaremye. Courtesy of MASS Design Group.
6:00pm: I usually head home by six, but when deadlines are tight, I may stay until eight or so. Once home, I prepare dinner with my roommate — whoever gets home first usually starts cooking. I don’t follow a set meal plan, but my favorite is local food, especially fresh Irish potatoes with beans and sauce. However, since I often eat dinner late, I usually choose something lighter; my usual choices are matoke — boiled and sometimes mashed plantains — or pumpkin.
10:00pm: When I'm really tired, I like to relax by watching movies or "Got Talent" shows. But on some evenings, I focus more on my hobbies. I enjoy working with small interior decoration items, like lampshades, woven rugs, and wall baskets. Sometimes, I even take time to practice weaving. Tonight, a fellow architect is designing a house and needs lampshades for the dining area. I'm assisting with the design, and I plan to spend about two hours on it before heading to bed.