Items by Editor In Chief

Architecture Kenya

• JUST LEAVE THE SLUMS AS THEY ARE AND YOU WILL HAVE SOLVED THE SLUM PROBLEM IN KENYA by Patrick Kariuki

  Posted: May 3, 2012, 12:24 am by Editor In Chief

  The article “Why Upgrading of Slums has flopped” by Martin Tairo Maseghe published in the Star on March 20 2012 refers. Prior to the last national Census, some lies had been peddled about the population of Kibera and over time they had become near truths. In proposals and documents, it had always been said that … Continue reading »

• Famed architect’s family battle over burial site and property

  Posted: April 30, 2012, 11:44 am by Editor In Chief

  The body of architect Joel Nyaseme is lying in a mortuary more than two months after he died as a dispute over his final resting place rages between his clan and his wife. In a dispute reminiscent of the legal battle between the Umira Kager clan and veteran politician Wambui Otieno over the remains of … Continue reading »

• Vacant Positions – rhizomestudio – Nairobi

  Posted: April 19, 2012, 7:49 pm by Editor In Chief

  We’re looking for talented interns and design assistants to join us in our Nairobi office. Internship Currently we are looking for intern applicants to assist in several exciting projects in Kenya and East Africa.  It will be hands on experience with full engagement in active projects. We are looking for driven, proactive people with very … Continue reading »

• Nyayo House Torture Chambers ‘Were Not Designed as Such’

  Posted: April 6, 2012, 2:28 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Kanu regime converted the strongrooms at Nyayo House into torture chambers. The rooms were initially designed to store cash and sensitive and valuable documents from government departments, Ministry of Public Works architects told the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday. The ministry’s secretary of works, Mr Mutemi Muliungi, and the deputy chief architect, … Continue reading »

• Why Slum Upgrading has Flopped – Martin Tairo

  Posted: March 20, 2012, 3:34 pm by Editor In Chief

  The president recently launched another phase of Kibera slum upgrading project which entails the construction of 900 housing units, 230 business stalls, a nursery school, a social hall, a youth centre, three solid waste handling sheds, toilet blocks and a boundary wall. This massive project is supposed to improve lives of the current residents of … Continue reading »

• Architects Barred from Charging Low Fees for Services

  Posted: March 8, 2012, 10:27 pm by Editor In Chief

  Lawyers, architects and quantity surveyors could lose out on government contracts if they flout a key procurement rule. The agency in charge of procurement has banned the three groups of professionals from charging less to manipulate government agencies into awarding them contracts. Although there is a minimum fee that lawyers, architects and surveyors can charge, … Continue reading »

• Kibaki launches Sh3bn Kibera housing project

  Posted: March 6, 2012, 8:19 pm by Editor In Chief

  President Kibaki has officially launched the Sh3 billion Kibera People Settlement Development project that will result in the construction of 900 housing units. It also involves the construction of 230 business stalls, a nursery school, a social hall, a youth centre, three solid waste handling sheds, three toilet blocks and a boundary wall. Speaking during … Continue reading »

• Facelift Maybe Good for Justice

  Posted: February 29, 2012, 4:03 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Judiciary has launched a design competition for the Kenyan courthouse. Architects, designers and artists have been invited to submit proposals for a prototype court building that, in external and internal design, shape, layout and colour scheme, reflects a vibrant, accessible, transparent, and impartial Judiciary. This unique initiative deserves support if it is a step … Continue reading »

• Eldoret town attracts Sh40 billion private sector real estate project

  Posted: February 21, 2012, 7:20 pm by Editor In Chief

  Eldoret Town has attracted a Sh40 billion real estate project, making it the single largest investment by the private sector in Western Kenya and the latest in a growing list of multi-billion-shilling investments outside Nairobi. The initiative to be known as Sergoit Golf and Wildlife Resort was unveiled by Tourism Minister Najib Balala, a signal … Continue reading »

• Free yourself from brick and mortar slavery – Patrick Kathuli

  Posted: February 20, 2012, 5:05 pm by Editor In Chief

  You’ve made the money to the tune of nine digits. You have a sense of class and therefore you deserve a house that is out-of-this-world. At the same time you wouldn’t like the edifice to portray you as being extravagantly out of touch with reality. How do you go about it? You will need a … Continue reading »

• Watch where you build

  Posted: February 16, 2012, 12:40 pm by Editor In Chief

  Somewhere in Mlolongo on the outskirts of Nairobi, a major apartment block development is fast coming up only a stone-throw away from a recently completed bungalow. With hundreds of units envisaged, some of which have been sold on-plan, the housing development promises to be a major landmark in the area when completed. However, its completion … Continue reading »

• Transition – Architect Joel E. D. Nyaseme Passes On

  Posted: February 6, 2012, 2:32 pm by Editor In Chief

  Architect Joel E. D. Nyaseme has died. The sole partner at Joel E. D. Nyaseme & Associates passed away on Saturday, 4th February 2012. It is not yet clear what caused his death. Arch. Nyaseme was one of the oldest names in the profession, was also a prominent figure in the architectural profession, having been … Continue reading »

• Six thousand acres for Isiolo resort city

  Posted: January 12, 2012, 5:06 pm by Editor In Chief

  The process of setting up Kenya’s first multi-billion shilling resort city moved a notch higher after the Isiolo county council was asked to set aside land for the project The council is required to set aside 6,500 acres of land at Kipsing Gap, about 20 kilometres west of Isiolo town. Assistant commissioner of Lands Muthoni … Continue reading »

• CCN sets deadline for online building plans

  Posted: December 19, 2011, 9:16 am by Editor In Chief

  The City Council of Nairobi has set a January 12, 2012 deadline for migration to the online platform for submission of building plans proposals and processing of construction permits. Practicing architects are supposed to transition to the new systems by deploying it in their respective studios. The City Council has written to the Architectural Association … Continue reading »

• James Njuguna Gitoho – Celebrating 30 Years in Architectural Practice

  Posted: December 8, 2011, 11:10 am by Editor In Chief

  James Njuguna Gitoho, born in 1956, is the Principal Partner at Triad Architects. He is best known as the architect behind the imposing Barclays Plaza building along Loita Street, which the firm won through a design competition. With ambitions of becoming a Mechanical Engineer from a tender age, James worked his way through school, first … Continue reading »

• ‘Ultra modern’ Milimani court building – A Poster Project of Corruption and Failure of the Architectural Profession.

  Posted: November 29, 2011, 8:29 pm by Editor In Chief

  It has now emerged that the ‘ultra-modern’ Milimani Law Courts building unveiled by President Mwai Kibaki earlier this year is yet another white elephant that cost the taxpayer a staggering Sh1 billion. Barely 10 months after it was commissioned, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has sounded alarm over the safety of judicial staff and Kenyans using … Continue reading »

• Kenyan property boom crumbling, warn analysts

  Posted: November 24, 2011, 5:15 pm by Editor In Chief

  Fraud, high mortgage interest rates, and the resultant inflated housing prices may soon burst the property bubble enjoyed by developers in the past 10 years. This alarming realisation comes in the wake of the recent demolitions of houses in Syokimau and Lang’ata over fraudulent land deals and the skyrocketing bank interest rates as a result … Continue reading »

• The Leaning Tower of Mombasa Pulled Down

  Posted: November 16, 2011, 7:26 pm by Editor In Chief

  The leaning Tower of Mombasa has been pulled down. Have a look at what the contractor had to say. Source: NTV Filed under: Buildings, Urban Design Tagged: The Leaning Tower of Mombasa

• The Leaning Tower of Mombasa

  Posted: November 10, 2011, 3:41 pm by Editor In Chief

  The image on the above, sent to the newsroom last weekend by Mombasa-based photographer Gideon Maundu, was as shameful as it was provocative. Somewhere in the Spaki neighbourhood of Mombasa a building under construction had given up a corner of its foundation and leaned precariously on one side, endangering the lives of both construction workers … Continue reading »

• A Stoned History of Nairobi by Kamau Mutunga

  Posted: November 4, 2011, 5:06 pm by Editor In Chief

  Architecture is said to be a societal affair. And good architecture can make a building appear as if it was planted, like it just sprouted. Think of the High Court, the All Saints Cathedral, City Hall and the Kenya Railways headquarters in Nairobi. Or the iconic Parliament Building with its English-style clock tower. It was … Continue reading »

• Vacancies – ARCHITECTURAL POSITIONS AT SYMBION KENYA LTD.

  Posted: November 1, 2011, 12:05 pm by Editor In Chief

  Symbion, a leading architectural practice in Kenya wishes to announce the following vacancies:-   Senior Architect Graduate Architect Senior Technician Senior Architect with a minimum of 5 years experience – BORAQS registered an advantage. The candidate must be able to demonstrate an advanced working knowledge of construction in Kenya. Key skills required include; project planning, … Continue reading »

• University of Nairobi Towers – Design Competition

  Posted: October 31, 2011, 6:01 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Architecture Kenya team paid a visit to the exhibition of the University of Nairobi Towers competition. Architects were all out to impress with models that must have cost a fortune to build. A limit was fixed to the number of sheets that any presenting firm would submit, this was capped at 8 A1 size … Continue reading »

• Why local architects are losing jobs to their SA counterparts – Kathuli Patrick

  Posted: October 24, 2011, 7:02 pm by Editor In Chief

  During a recent regional conference held in Nairobi, my fears were confirmed that Kenyan architects were gradually losing jobs to fellow African competitors, especially South Africans. This is not a surprise as local architects seem to have resigned themselves to designing bad buildings. The days of good architecture in Nairobi and other towns are well … Continue reading »

• Sh383m VP official residence ready

  Posted: October 13, 2011, 1:22 pm by Editor In Chief

  Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka could move into a Sh383 million palatial residence built by the government in December this year. The complex in a 10-acre land comprises of a main house, office block, guesthouse, gazebo/gym, garage/generator house, swimming pool and comptroller’s unit. It also has security unit with an armoury, domestic staff quarters, pergola walkway, pump … Continue reading »

• Developers ride roughshod over rules in hunt for profit

  Posted: October 12, 2011, 4:23 pm by Editor In Chief

  They say that in business, the customer is the king. But in Kenya’s booming property market, the opposite holds true, thanks to the biting housing shortage that has put potential buyers at the mercy of profit-minded developers. But it now seems that the developers’ profit motive is doing more harm than good to not only … Continue reading »

• Six out of Ten Buildings in Nairobi don’t have the Necessary Approvals

  Posted: October 4, 2011, 1:06 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Architectural Association of Kenya has proposed a raft of measures which, if adopted, will bring back sanity in the construction industry. The move comes in the wake of the recent collapse of buildings in Nairobi where several people lost their lives and others were injured. Chairman Stephen Oundo said it was time building materials … Continue reading »

• Cities key to sustaining Africa’s growth – ARNOLD MEYER

  Posted: September 6, 2011, 6:43 pm by Editor In Chief

  Africa is abuzz. Good governance and democracy are taking root, backed by an increasingly literate and aspiring population. Policy reforms over the last 20 years are generating good results, with Africa recording an average of over 5 per cent GDP growth over the past 10 years. Investor sentiment towards the continent is turning and riding … Continue reading »

• Investor takes Nairobi homes higher with Ksh 7bn estate plan

  Posted: August 30, 2011, 5:42 pm by Editor In Chief

  Nairobi’s property market has attracted a fresh Sh7 billion investment that is also expected to change the way Kenyans have traditionally built residential houses. The development, to be located along Thika Highway near the Kasarani sports complex, will give Kenya its tallest residential apartments of up to 18 floors, setting it up to be among … Continue reading »

• Ground breaking for Kenya’s technopolis set for September

  Posted: August 11, 2011, 4:48 pm by Editor In Chief

  The much-awaited master plan for Kenya’s Konza technology Park is complete and ground breaking is scheduled for September this year. Unveiling the master plan for phase one of the over $10 billion (Sh800 billion) project on Monday, Ministry of Information PS, Dr Bitange Ndemo, said topographical work is ongoing at the 5,000-acre Konza site, 60km … Continue reading »

• Coming up in the Print Version of Architecture Kenya Magazine – Candid Interview with Arch. David Mutiso, FAAK.

  Posted: August 8, 2011, 5:51 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Architecture Kenya team spent some quality time with Arch. David Mutiso, FAAK who opened up in a candid interview with our editors. Meet this old man, still young at heart and learn about his days at Alliance with the popular principal, Carey Francis, how he developed interest in architecture, the hurdles he encountered. Also … Continue reading »

• Kenya loses Sh1.4 billion on collapsed buildings

  Posted: August 2, 2011, 9:52 pm by Editor In Chief

  Kenya has lost more than Sh1.4 billion as a result of collapsed buildings in the last 15 years, Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) says. Chairman Gideon Mulyungi said 24 buildings have collapsed in the country since 1996. “Forty-one lives have been lost and 47 people injured over the same period,” Mr … Continue reading »

• VACANCY – PROJECT MANAGER, ROAD AND BRIDGES – SPENCON HOLDINGS

  Posted: July 25, 2011, 8:39 pm by Editor In Chief

  JOB PURPOSE: Responsible for timely execution of the project(s) at site under strict time & cost schedules as provided in the DPP by adopting integrated project management methods across various Sites. GENERIC DUTIES: Attend joint meeting and give accurate feedback to management for information and action. Plan, manage and integrate all Sites to ensure construction … Continue reading »

• Death of Physical Planning and Beauty – Who are the Killers? by Aggrey Mutambo

  Posted: July 15, 2011, 1:52 pm by Editor In Chief

  Nairobi’s Zimmerman housing estate appears beautiful and well-planned. Viewing it from Thika Road, you would see a series of competing structures, coming up by the day, as though aiming for the sun. You see no congestion, murk, or pollution. That is until you walk on its narrow, muddy streets. Buildings as high as six floors, … Continue reading »

• If Your’s is a Sloppy Site, You Need to Know this Before you Build – Kenneth Oigo

  Posted: July 13, 2011, 2:05 pm by Editor In Chief

  Flash floods are with us again and, even though they present a big headache to urban dwellers, the greatest danger lies in rural, on-slope settlements. However, builders can avoid the risk of collapsing structures by building retaining walls, which are designed to resist the lateral pressure of soil when there is a desired change in … Continue reading »

• A Great Architectural Marvel in Nyeri’s Wilderness – Treetops

  Posted: July 1, 2011, 1:11 pm by Editor In Chief

  After covering the War Memorial church located in Nyeri, the Architecture Kenya team must have thought that was the last they would cover of the town located at the central highlands of Kenya. But that was not to be, another marvel came about, though located 17 kilometres from the town, it can still be said … Continue reading »

• The Dangers of Buying a House Before it is Built

  Posted: June 30, 2011, 1:07 pm by Editor In Chief

  When Elizabeth Lwali decided to buy a house, she looked for a bargain and found one that she has never regretted. Located in Embakasi, Nairobi, Ms Lwali’s house is a three-bedroom apartment with an en suite master bedroom. Unlike many people who go for a completed house, Ms Lwali, an investment officer with a Nairobi-based … Continue reading »

• Collapsed Buildings, Who Do We Turn To? – Kamichore Mutindira

  Posted: June 28, 2011, 9:42 pm by Editor In Chief

  It is sad to learn that the building which collapsed in Embakasi had been condemned and earmarked for demolition. Through a court order, the owner managed to keep the structure standing until the matter faded from the limelight. Having ensured that the issue had been forgotten, casual labourers were hired, oblivious of imminent danger. Since … Continue reading »

• Bill to Tame Rogue Contractors

  Posted: June 6, 2011, 9:52 pm by Editor In Chief

  Efforts to rid Kenya’s construction industry of cowboy contractors could soon pay off after a Bill to regulate the sector sailed through the first reading in Parliament last week. The Bill seeks to establish the National Construction Authority to oversee the construction sector by registering and accrediting contractors and regulating their activities. It will also … Continue reading »

• Problems facing cities need new thinking, says UN-Habitat boss

  Posted: May 31, 2011, 8:02 pm by Editor In Chief

  In October last year Joan Clos, the 62-year-old, two-time mayor of Barcelona, Spain, became Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). His predecessor, Dr Anna Tibaijuka of Tanzania, had long tried to impress on world leaders the need to reduce by half the number of people living in slums and squatter settlements … Continue reading »

• Designed to save Mother Earth – New UNEP HQs

  Posted: May 16, 2011, 9:40 pm by Editor In Chief

  Environmental conservation and the war against global warming are among the biggest responsibilities of governments today. Scientists have been working round the clock to design innovative ways to build eco-friendly cars, machines and, in the past few decades, buildings. With statistics from the American Institute of Architects indicating that buildings account for an estimated 48 … Continue reading »

• Kshs 2.7 billion in Variations for Thika Superhighway Construction Project

  Posted: May 13, 2011, 8:30 pm by Editor In Chief

  The escalating cost of fuel could increase the cost of completing the Nairobi-Thika highway. This could result in further delay to completion of the Sh27 billion highway, which is scheduled for February next year. Roads permanent secretary Michael Kamau said the government had a contingency plan to take care of such a predicament. “If this … Continue reading »

• The Brief Is……. Provide Six Million Housing Units in Twenty Years

  Posted: May 4, 2011, 8:41 pm by Editor In Chief

  Kenya needs a new master plan to help deliver at least six million housing units over the next 20 years if the current housing shortage is to be overcome, architects have said. According to Mr Steven Oundo, the chairman of the Architectural Association of Kenya, this means that about 300,000 units will need to be … Continue reading »

• Piece of Italy on Mt Kenya by Muchiri Gitonga

  Posted: April 14, 2011, 11:04 pm by Editor In Chief

  War, that bloody business by humanity gone mad, has a way of making the boom of guns, the smell and rivulets of blood, innocence ruined, and ambitions shattered unforgettable by its sheer gore. War and its memories are also immortalised in brick and mortar to capture and make real what poignancy may evade memory. This … Continue reading »

• Kenyan builders building capacity – Winsley Masese

  Posted: March 23, 2011, 10:39 pm by Editor In Chief

  The construction industry is one of the fastest growing in the country and with increased government spending the outlook can only get brighter. With focus shifting to development of infrastructure in the devolved government, contractors are upbeat that this will increase their revenue streams and experience. Treasury recently said it would seek Parliament’s approval for … Continue reading »

• Rise of the Gated Community – Eagle Plains Estate off Mombasa Road

  Posted: March 20, 2011, 8:11 pm by Editor In Chief

  Hidden off Mombasa Road, about 50 metres behind Panari Hotel, lies Eagles Plain — a breathtaking residential housing estate. It is in close proximity to the city centre and industrial area in a mixed zone and on the way to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. According to the architect, Andrew Kimani of FNDA Architecture, the estate … Continue reading »

• Battle for Vice Chairmanship as AAK goes to the polls

  Posted: March 15, 2011, 8:25 pm by Editor In Chief

  The Architectural Association of Kenya members will be electing a new governing council before their 44th AGM to be held on Friday, 25th March 2011. Incumbent chairman, Arch. Steven Oundo, is largely expected to retain his seat for a second term with indications that he will be running for the seat unopposed. Arch. Oundo has … Continue reading »

• The smart estate concept

  Posted: February 24, 2011, 12:58 pm by Editor In Chief

  Imagine living in a middle-income neighbourhood where all houses boast a fresh coat of environmentally-friendly, same-colour paint; security guards are clad in matching colours; and all vehicles sport waste bags and stickers preaching green tips. Outside, the streets are clearly marked and an estate map is readily available. The roads are clean and well-maintained, and … Continue reading »

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