Loisaba Conservancy sits at the edge of the Ewaso Ecosystem — volcanic rock, seasonal rivers, open acacia plains stretching north toward Samburu. Now home to Kenya's newest black rhino sanctuary. The landscape is recovering its oldest inhabitants.
The lodge sits at the edge — looking out over the African plains as far as one can cast the eye. Rock formation, long views, the horizon unbroken. The escarpment is the architecture; the building its quiet frame.
“The lodge edges over a rock escarpment, looking over the African plains as far as one can cast the eye.”
The proposal sets a cluster of thatched pavilions along the cliff's edge above Loisaba. Splayed roofs echo the rock plates below; concrete decks and edge pools draw guests to the precipice and the open plains beyond.
In the distance, newly reintroduced rhino move between the acacias — strong signs of recovery in what was once their prehistoric habitat.
The angular thatched roofs splay outward like fractured rock plates, gathering shade, water and circulation into the folds between them — so that from a distance the lodge settles into the escarpment rather than crowning it.
Rivers, rock and returning wildlife. Designing here begins with long days on the land — understanding how light, water and animal paths move across the site before a single line is drawn.
In the distance the shadows of the newly introduced rhino move between the acacias — strong signs of recovery in what was once their prehistoric habitat. The lodge is witness to this. Architecture that earns its place in a recovering landscape.