Johnson Bigwi: Shaping Thinking, Shaping Spaces

Inkonversation S03 E08

Join us for another thrilling conversation. Today we are joined by Johnson Bigwi, CEO of the Architectural Firm FDG Africa, as he shares his unlikely career journey into architecture and his mission to change architectural design in Rwanda and the region.

Transcript

Transcript 

Welcome. Welcome to today's episode of Inkonversation. My name is Vanessa Giramata, and I'm a grant writer at Inkomoko. Today, we're joined by Johnson Bigwi, and we are excited to have this conversation with him. Johnson, could you start by introducing yourself and sharing your journey in architecture? 

Bigwi 

Thanks a lot, Vanessa. I'm so excited being a part of the podcast today. My name is Johnson Bigwi. I'm a designer and I also lead a team of designers, architects and engineers. And I also manage a company called FDG Africa. It's a design and build firm that was founded in 2014. And my role there most of the time is to design and to lead a team that does construction, and also to manage the company. 

Vanessa 

Thank you so much for that introduction Bigwi, we are so happy to have you. Walk me through your architecture journey, and what really inspired you to start the firm. 

Bigwi 

OK, actually my journey,... I got into architecture. Not like I had planned it because when I was in high school back in the time that was in the 2004, that was the time when Medicine and becoming a doctor or something affiliated with health or being a doctor was something of it was something that most parents would push their children to become. That time my parents also believe that probably I should become a doctor, and I was doing, but I had to go undergo. Biology and chemistry so that in the future in university I can take medicine. I moved out of the country and I went to Nairobi. So that I can find a medical school there and join and I went there. I found one I joined, but I joined dentistry. 

As I was doing my studies, I started to realize that it wasn't my thing. I feel like  probably this is not something that I was meant to do. Then, luckily enough, I come to find a person that was doing a dentist was doing architecture. And then we met, and we had a discussion, and then he started to explain to me what architecture was about. So that person was the one who actually influenced me to join architecture. That was at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology that is commonly known as Jack White, JK Watt. I went there. I started architecture and you know I loved it. My skills were being put to a very good use. I felt like this is where I belong, and I started to pick up and I felt like my life finally has found the right path.

Vanessa 

Great. Basically, you're born to be an architect. Kind of pressure to be a doctor, but the passion triumphed. So you took the architectural journey. We're happy you found your way. 

So you have done architecture in school and then walk me through what happened after. How did the FDG Africa come to ground? How did it come to life? 

Bigwi 

while I was in school, I met two guys, one was the one who actually influenced me to join architecture. Together with his other friend. And they started giving me their personal projects while I was still in university. So I started to experience the life of an architect when I was still a student.

They kept on inspiring my architectural journey, so we worked together when I was done, immediately joined their firm. One of them was transitioning from an employee, kind of starting his own practice. So we joined him so that we can put together our forces and, like, create a company that we call the Office of Applied Architectural Sciences. I worked with them up to 2014. Then I started to tell them that I feel like I want to transition come from Nairobi and come back to Rwanda. I felt like probably in my country, that's where I'm going to be put at a very good use. 

So that's how actually FDG was born. It was born out of the feeling that there is so much untapped potentials in, in this country. If you want to build, you have to create your own plan depending the kind of lifestyle that you want to have in your house. So those are the things that you really pushed me to start FDG. 

Vanessa 

Awesome. I imagine it goes without saying that there were some challenges, some challenges, when you were building FDG putting it together from ground up. How did you balance creativity and business management and the environment in Rwanda in general during that time? What were some of the challenges you faced, and how did you navigate that? 

Bigwi 

Yeah, actually, when I came back the first challenge was that most of the construction projects from design up to construction was being done by engineers. In normal cases, you'll find that an architect comes in, a designer, comes in, they create a plan they create the shape of the… of our project. Then they call in an engineer so that the engineer can help the team to understand the structure, the structural element of the building and the cost implications. So for me to introduce myself coming in and say that I'm a designer, or I'm an architect, that didn't mean a lot to clients. Hence, I had a very, very big challenge finding clients and the people that can work. 

But I really tried. I would go outside and see where people are doing some site works. I try to find out and see the owner of that project. I will talk to the owner of the project and see if they are open to the ideas. See if they want to see different kind of approaching designs. And I offered my consultancy for free, so that at least for sometimes I can see if my ideas can be accepted and received very well here in Rwanda. I kept on pushing that, of course, meeting with the engineers who had projects going on here trying to give them free advice, free drawings, free consultancy. And I managed to meet some engineers who had several projects that I participated in, and as I participated, they came to realize that my approach as an architect or as a designer was different from their approach. So they started to refer me or to even share meet their personal projects. 

So we kept on working together like that for like 3-3. So I came, we came to find a client at Kacyiru who wanted to have his home renovated. So we went and they sold the House. And we proposed to that client what we wanted to do on or to renovate on his house. He loved the plan. In fact, he didn't believe people in Rwanda can come up with that type of of of plan. He was saying that this is the type of work that I was seeking from Italy. So, we worked, we worked with him from design up to construction. When the project was done, it was visible that it is a different kind of structure in the neighbourhood, even in the city it was built in. The national broadcasting agents, or RBA, they passed by. They came to visit it. Different media houses, they passed by. They wanted to see what was going on, but which was very different from the movement. Which was there with the high pitched roofs. This time around, it was something that was very quiet with a flat roof and very minimal kind of approach with the. Very much very big openings and yeah, very much simple kind of structure. together with those two guys, we said now. We can now form an office because now we have a first project. Let's open up an office where the people are coming to see this project we're doing here at kacyiru. They can pass by even to our office. And see get to meet the people that are working on the project and the team. So that's how actually FDG was born. It was born around a project that we had at Kacyiru, and everyone who was involved, mostly the interns from university and IPRC. So we started. Without any kind of knowledge on doing business and growing and growing and nurturing the team and the. Uh. Company all together. All I knew was just how to be creative and bring about creative ideas in a design. But as we started to have the business grow, undertaking the second project, the third project I started to learn how to manage the business. 

Vanessa 

Hey, that was a very interesting journey, but definitely worth the while as you have now kind of established FDG Africa a little bit more, and we already know that FDG Africa is known for its innovative approach to building along the slope. I'm just curious to know how did this approach develop? How has it impacted the projects you deliver and even as an architect, what are some of the biggest trends you see shaping the future of architecture, for example? 

Bigwi 

So building along the slope wasn't even a choice. When I came back was the main reasons of which that I saw that I should be here not anywhere else. When I came back, I started to see that people before they build, they want to come and cut the hill slope and remove the soil. Then they build their houses. Now the, the consequences of doing that was that they do harm to the environment, but also the building that is built there, it is going to look like it is buried, it won't have much light, but it will also be exposed to weather like rain water or some hazards that will come from where they had cut the land. And without forgetting that doing those cuts and taking away the soil, it's costly, it's money. When I came around, I wanted that I can show people how to build without cutting the slope without cutting the terrain. You can build just following it instead of cutting the slope. Our country is a country of 1000 hills. We have slopes everywhere. There are hills everywhere, so. If you don't know how to play around with the slope or the hill. It is going to be very much challenging to build here in Rwanda. 

So I started to teach people how they can build, and I decided to become an advocate of how to build without cutting the slope. And those are one of the those things that really pushed me to put things my work even. On social media so that from the projects that we are doing, I can exemplify and show people that you can always bring out something good out of the slop instead of cutting it you can you have various choices or options to opt for. By not cutting the slope, we preserve the environment, we reduce the cost of construction and also the project gets to look very good. We have very many practical examples where we have built a very nice and modern projects without on only slope and without cutting it. I think it's one of the things that really helped us to get ahead and build the brand and have our ideas cut across. 

Vanessa 

Yes, that's definitely a very useful thing to consider and along that question was what are some other biggest trends you see shaping the future of architecture. 

Bigwi 

Yeah. So there are so many trends that have been there and there are also others that are coming up, including the open plan, a kind of approach in design. You'll find that back in the days when people were building, they wanted to have so many walls inside their houses. to ensure privacy. but nowadays there is a trend that people want to have their house open. You'll find that the sitting room, the dining in the kitchen, they are open plan so that you can create like a free floor of movement inside the house. And that makes the house look even much more bigger. 

There is also other trends that's back that you can also connect your interior to outside through patios or terraces? You create a terrace that when you are seated in inside the sitting room, We always feel like you are connected to outside because of the terrace is on the same level as the inside. 

The other ones are the movement of sustainability. Making sure that whatever that is being done, whatever that is being designed, is environmentally sustainable. We know about this carbon footprint. Gas or the emission of carbon gas in the atmosphere and the effects of it. So now we're trying to design things that we can use the design. To. Reduce the carbon gas emission in the atmosphere. we try to see materials that the production of those materials. Does not require much energy or the emission of those gases in the atmosphere, and you see that some people are now they are avoiding things like this like cement. Because they know those plants that manufacture cements. They emit much of those gases in the atmosphere. So you find people opt to use natural ways of approaches. 

You will also see that now people are trying to also create gardens inside their houses. So that they can purify the air inside their houses. You'll see that now people have started to opt to not depend only on the main grid of electricity. You'll find that most people are they have installation of solar panels on the top of their houses. This is also one good initiative that I think even our government in investors should start to tap in because You'll find that we are going to need. Solar energy. as. Are a true and reliable source of energy. So I think that those are some of the trends that are really picking. When it comes to architecture and design. 

Vanessa 

Talking about environmental consideration and sustainability, what do you think is the role. Architecture plays in addressing some social issues like affordable housing, for example, or urban inequality. How do you think sustainability influences the way architecture firms operate today? 

Bigwi 

A good architect. Should have a projection in his mind of 10 years ahead. You should see the current situation and understand or project how 10 years might look like in the future. From all projects that we are doing and or even looking around what is happening even in the country.45:18 As architects, what we do, first of all is to align with the local master plan you have first of all, to understand the master plan that the country has, because from the master plan that that's where you understand the clear direction of the country and the people. 

The idea of affordable housing. It's one of those great ideas, mostly when they are being spoken. However, in practice it's one of those challenging ideas. Because affordability, when narrowed it down, affordability, it comes down to many things. For a house to be affordable, it you have to look at several things, including the material, the size of that house and the type of the technology that are going to be used to build that house, from my practice, what I do, I always try to do some mock-ups or to experiment and see how things will react. Let's say we're working on our residential project and the client wants to see if they can reduce the cost of construction. So we are going to come up with several options to offer to the client so that they can be the one deciding. Let's say for example if I want to build a house. Let's say I have in mind 45,000,000 Rwandan francs and I want to build my house from that budget. 49:46 We can easily reduce some full amount of money on the budget. And we come again, we look at we look at the whole plan and we try to see where can we play with the materials, affordable materials and the techniques. We can be able to reduce the cost all. Of that project. From that perspective, we can always play with we, with the cost of, you know, with the, with the cost to the point we can always have the project become affordable. 

Now looking at the overall now perspective of design, and you know, urban plan and the inequality in the housing industry. I think. Those things, most of the time they are guided by the master plan and they are mostly defined from the national level where sometimes our ideas are voiced. But again, we come down to real estate developers that wants to develop, let's say, affordable projects, or they want to house a certain number of people, but they want to house them in a way that is affordable. But decent, because for the affordability doesn't mean indecency. So from there what we do, we try to again help real estate developers to understand the nature of affordability. Coming to the sizes of the the the houses they want to build. 53:28 But also in the materials being used. architecture is about people and how people will interact with spaces and even environment. So for us what we do, we try to come in also advise. Let's say if we want to create an affordable real estate project, you will find that we want first of all to come from the master planning of the whole project in identifying the people who are going to live there. Understanding also there are similarities or the things that bring them together and two we try to create a society or our community, of people who have things in common, but also, who will share the same neighbourhood without any problem and then from there we understand now you know, their aspiration. So from there we create a master plan and we start to discuss on the on the affordability and how things can be executed in a way that is and not very much expensive. 

Vanessa 

Still on the environmental consideration. 57:02 And sustainability, sustainability is often perceived as a costly endeavour. You know when someone is trying to build, they're thinking, OK, the most sustainable I want …this is a myth, I hope. The more sustainable I want the building to be the more expensive it's going to be. Would you like to share with us some practical ways architects and future homeowners can adapt to invite environmentally conscious practices without adding more expenses to their budgets? 

Bigwi 

First of all you have to understand the budget you have. You also have to understand the kind of life you want to live and your aspiration. But put in mind that you are going to be building your house in an environment that is already set. And has its own rules. For me, sustainability, it's it doesn't have to be that expensive. Or even if it becomes expensive, it becomes expensive in the beginning, but in the long run you profit, you get much profit. For example, if I would say like if you to bring in into your project, let's say the solar panels and you're not you depending mainly on the national grid line. if someone depending on the National Grid is paying, let's say 30,000 per month. And you, because you're using that the electricity from national greed. Not as often as. The person who doesn't have the solar panels, you see that yours comes a bit down. 

But when we come again to the cost of installation of those solar panels and batteries, you see that it's not something that again is affordable when you're doing it in the beginning.

There are several practical ways homeowners and architects can go through together before they even establish the plan or the project. And the those practical steps most of the time comes when they meet, and they discuss, and they understand each other on one what they want to achieve, So you have to be very much conscious of the  environment design. Not fighting the environment, that's where those do not cut the slope comes in, try to build along the slope instead of going against the slope and they cut everything. 

The second practical way, that can be used to have your projected sustainable is to understand material utilization. On your house, let's say, for example, we used to have materials called Lukara kara or mud bricks. For some times it was dismissed, but again reconsidered. I'm not saying that they are of good quality, but I'm saying that if you can use them but not expose them to rain, you can always find a way of mixing those brick with burned bricks. Let's say for for for example if I'm doing my house, I can have all the external or part of my house in burned bricks, I can do my internal partition with mud bricks. That way, I'm going to be reducing the cost on my on the inside. And added plaster and paint them. No one is even going to realize I have. Those type of bricks inside my house. 

The third one is also to understand the local techniques. There are various techniques that are available nowadays which are very much great. Like most people come around, and they ask me why do you guys keep on using traditional way of building where we use stones or where use bricks inside for partitions or things like those. You go into details, you look at the other techniques that are used, if I want to partition my house and I do a gypsum partition inside or I use some other materials like the straw, take when you look at those two options, you know the first one. If I go for the gypsum or those assorted materials, you see that. It's. It becomes expensive compared to traditional approaches because the traditional approaches. Where the traditional approaches you will use local labour. The people that have been building the people that know how to do it, you won't have to bring in a professional highly skilled kind of personnel. Because the labor won't be very much expensive and the materials are locally available. If you need more, you can always get more. That one is also another practical way of leading clients into creating sustainable projects. 

Vanessa 

Looking into the future, what advice do you have for younger architects in the country who are aspiring to the leave a mark in the industry, especially in terms of creating sustainable and community focused designs? So, for example, what excites you regarding the direction Rwanda is taking when it comes to renders, infrastructure and design? 

Bigwi 

My advice to young architects first of all is to learn. To understand the people so that wherever that they design, it is something that is going to come and contribute and enhance the life of the people now. The second thing is that young people have to understand we are in an era where You do not need to go very far, to have your skills exploited. Especially people who are doing architecture, you do not need to fly and go to America, to Canada so that you can practice there and make a lot of money. My advice is that by the time they have gotten knowledge, find a good place where you can practice around the country. And get to understand the challenges the country has and get to uplift your skills so that you can meet the challenges and be able to become part of the people who are solving the problems. The direction my country Rwanda is taking in infrastructure. It's something that is promising. I remember by the time I was doing architecture, there was not so many things that. as a student, I could learn from this place. Most of the things which were here. I don't think we could have sparkled creativity but now the country is creating some infrastructures. like the arena, Convention Center. there's some many buildings here that are inspiring. For the young people, it's an opportunity because now they do not even need it's not compulsory that they would have to fly elsewhere so that they can see buildings which are done with optimum kind of creativity. Execution so I think. The with the. With the direction run, the infrastructure is taking. It's promising, and we are heading to a bright future. 

Vanessa 

Yes, we are. Yes, indeed we are and. Thank you so much. Well, it has been a long journey for FDG Africa and for you personally as an architect. thank you so much, Bigwi. 

Bigwi 

Most welcome, Vanessa.