Zaria Court is a bold adaptive reuse project in Kigali’s emerging Sports City district and ecosystem. The project transforms a historically significant modernist building into a vibrant new hub for sports and entertainment infrastructure, hospitality, community, and culture.
NLÉ’s masterplan design is conceived around a central court – a public space for sports, community and city life, surrounded by a public park with hospitality and retail facilities . The hotel design preserves the original modernist concrete frame, complemented by locally sourced bricks, wood, and exposed concrete finishes. Originally constructed as an athlete’s accommodation next to Amahoro Stadium and BK Arena – Rwanda’s most prominent sports venues – the building has borne witness to defining moments in Rwandan history. During the 1994 Genocide, it housed the United Nations’ temporary headquarters, becoming a place of refuge and coordination during the nation’s darkest chapter. More recently, it served as the Rwandan Health Authorities’ office during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting public health logistics. The project expresses a tactile and contemporary African architecture rooted in material honesty, civic memory, and evolving urban identity. These layers of function and memory culminate now in a new public role—as part of a growing ecosystem of public architecture reimagined for Africa’s next generation.
The reimagined Zaria Court includes:
- A multi-functional court and event space for sports, music, fashion, entertainment, and cultural programming;
- A boutique 80-room hotel, designed for comfort, gathering, and creative exchange;
- Indoor amenities including a gym, co-working spaces, conference and meeting rooms, a swimming pool, and rooftop bar;
- Five-a-side soccer pitches and an outdoor calisthenics training area;
- A thoughtfully integrated children’s playground with open spaces, encouraging safe play and intergenerational interaction;
- Lush landscaping and a vibrant public park, creating inviting green spaces for relaxation, gathering, and community engagement.
- A striking cluster of stacked shipping containers that creates a modular retail hub—offering affordable space for Kigali’s emerging designers, food vendors, and spaces that support local entrepreneurs and dignified employment.
- Zaria Chair – an arm chair furnishing the lobbies and rooms – inspired by traditional birthing chairs and regal thrones of Northern Nigeria.
At the heart of the project is a belief in adaptive reuse not only as a design approach but as a social and civic commitment—reviving architecture with new purpose and meaning for Africa’s dynamic urban future.
Zaria Court is realized in development partnership with Zaria Group led by Masai Ujiri—former President of the Toronto Raptors and founder of Giants of Africa—whose vision for youth empowerment and inclusive urban growth through sport plays a central role in the project. Ujiri brings to Zaria Court a deep commitment to creating spaces where African excellence, creativity, and community can thrive.
Zaria Court is a landmark of African public architecture, bridging Kigali’s past and future, and a prototype for how design, sports, and culture can intersect to create inclusive, resilient, and aspirational cities.
