Born: 1987 (circa), Rwanda
Died: NA
Country most active: Rwanda
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Women Architects Worldwide: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Canon by Aubree Tillett, edited by Aubree Tillett and Jess Ilias, an open-access Pressbook designed to uplift the names of women architects from almost every country and territory around the world. This entry is shared in line with the Creative Commons licensing.
Born in Rwanda, Noella Nibakuze is design director at MASS Design Group in Kigali, Rwanda (2022–) where she previously worked as an associate (2017–2021). She holds both a bachelor’s (2008) and a master’s (2012) of technology in architecture from Tshwane Unviersity of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa. After graduation, she gained professional experience as an architect for Studio 4 Architects in Rwanda (2013–2017). Nibakuze was a 2018 TechWomen Fellow, and has guest lectured at Rwanda’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment in Kigali, Rwanda. She has served as a judge for the Dezeen Awards (2024) and is a member of the International Union of Architects (UIA, 2021–), of the Rwanda Institute of Architects, and of the East African Institute of Architects. She was named a finalist for the Diversity in Architecture Award (DIVIA) in 2023.
References
Kaira Looro = Architecture Competition : Peace Pavilion. Acicastello, Italia: Balouo Salo, 2019.
Lukashevich, Veronika. “Noella Nibakuze.” Diversity in Architecture, December 20, 2024. https://diversityinarchitecture.de/noella-nibakuze/.
“Meet Noella Nibakuze, Design Associate at MASS Design Group, Rwanda.” Nsesa Foundation, accessed June 6, 2025. https://nsesafoundation.com/stem-wow-noella/.
“Noella Nibakuze | Judges | Dezeen Awards 2024.” Dezeen, accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.dezeen.com/awards/2024/judges/noella-nibakuze/.
Nibakuze, Noella. LinkedIn, accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/noella-nibakuze-26881516/?originalSubdomain=rw.
“Noella Nibakuze.” MASS Design Group, accessed June 6, 2025. https://massdesigngroup.org/team/noella-nibakuze.
Nibakuze, Noella (@nibakuze_n). Instagram, accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/nibakuze_n/.
“Noella Nibakuze.” TechWomen, accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.techwomen.org/impact-story/noella-nibakuze-4.
Stone, Amy. “Changing Narratives: MASS Design Group’s Noella Nibakuze on Pioneering Paths and Shaping a Rwandan Architecture.” Madame Architect, November 2, 2022. https://www.madamearchitect.org/interviews/2022/10/1/noella-nibakuze-1.
“The Diversity in Architecture-DIVIA Award, Dedicated to Women Architects, Selects Five Finalists,” ArchDaily. March 9, 2023. https://www.archdaily.com/997625/the-diversity-in-architecture-divia-award-dedicated-to-women-architects-selects-five-finalists.
Women in STEM: Noella Nibakuze. UNICEF Rwanda, 2021. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmSKD702Dnw.