FBW Helps Deliver Groundbreaking Kigali Sports and Entertainment Complex

Last Updated 6 months ago by Kenya Engineer

East African headquartered FBW Group has played a key role in the creation of Zaria Court Kigali – a new multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex set to become a major destination in the Rwandan capital.

The first development of its kind on the African continent, it has been designed as a hub for social and cultural gatherings, and is expected to create around 500 jobs, particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

FBW’s expert team of architects and engineers played a central role in delivering the structural and MEP design for the groundbreaking project, which sits in the corridor connecting Kigali International Airport to the Central Business District, positioning it as a key gateway into the city.

FBW provided consultancy services as executive architects on the programme, alongside full engineering services. The group also acted as the architects and engineers of record.

Its team was responsible for navigating local regulations, securing planning approvals and co-ordinating with the Rwandan authorities to obtain the necessary permits and licences for construction to get underway.

FBW also developed comprehensive stage technical drawings and provided technical reporting, site inspections and coordination to support the wider project team throughout the construction phase.

Set on the historically significant site of the former Rwanda Biomedical Centre – once used by the UN in the 1990s – the project, designed by Amsterdam based architects NLÉ, has revitalised an existing 80-room boutique hotel, originally built in the 1970s.

The result is a modern destination, featuring restaurants, a rooftop lounge, wellness spaces, co-working areas and a podcast studio. A multi-purpose court will host sporting events, festivals, performances, markets, and other activities.

The development’s masterplan has integrated architecture and landscape to create a walkable, green-focused environment that retains mature trees and has introduced new green spaces.

Zaria Court Kigali, which has now officially opened, is the latest in a series of major developments in Rwanda that FBW Group has played a part in delivering.

The leading African planning, design, architecture and engineering group, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, is also a member of the international team tasked with creating the trailblazing Kigali Green City project.

That transformational development is being hailed as is an important milestone on the road to creating more sustainable green cities in the region and worldwide.

Paul Semanda, group director at FBW, said: “Zaria Court is more than a new development. It is a symbol of contemporary urban Africa – youthful, inclusive, culturally grounded, and future-ready.

“It showcases what is possible when sport, hospitality, and civic identity come together with care, creativity, and ambition. We are proud to have been part of bringing this transformative project to life.”

He added: “We worked closely with NLÉ, and as local project architects and engineers led the technical delivery, guiding the project through planning approval, compliance, and detailed construction documentation.

“The team also worked closely with local authorities to ensure that Rwandan building standards, rules and zoning conditions were met, while aligning with the vision of the broader masterplan.

“This collaborative and responsive design approach between global design leaders and local technical expertise has delivered a first-class, community driven civic project that really stands out as something very special.”

FBW is a major player in East Africa’s construction and development sector and has made a name for itself working on high-profile infrastructure projects. In 2025 the group is celebrating 30 years of quality design, architecture, planning and engineering work across the region.

Over that time, it has been involved in a wide range of successful, high-profile leisure and hospitality projects. They include the first Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Uganda’s capital Kampala as well as the Hotel Umubano in Kigali and the AC Marriott, Westlands in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

FBW also delivered Kampala’s first boutique hotel. The Emin Pasha is set in two acres of tropical gardens in the centre of the city.

The multi-disciplinary planning, design, architecture and engineering group has a workforce of more than 30 professionals delivering high value construction and development projects across Africa.

It offers a wide range of in-house professional building and technical services. They include pre-design services, development consultancy, building appraisals and condition surveys, project management, architecture, civil and structural engineering, MEP engineering, telecommunication engineering, and other building consultancy services.