Young Kenyan Architectural practice wins twice at the International Property Awards

Nairobi-based Aleem Manji Architects scooped two awards at the prestigious Africa and Arabia Property Awards

Nairobi-based Aleem Manji Architects scooped two awards at the prestigious Africa and Arabia Property Awards, a part of the International Property Awards which were handed out last week Thursday, September 7, 2017, at a glittering ceremony at the JW Marriot Marquis in Dubai.

The practice, which was founded in 2010, walked away with two awards at the Africa and Arabia Property Awards for a pair of projects which are currently under construction in Nairobi; in the Commercial High-rise Architecture category for The Elegance, and the Residential High-rise Architecture category for Rumaisa. Another project which they designed, Crystal Edge, won an award for Globe Developers in the Best Apartments category, while in the final awards of the evening, both Crystal Edge and Rumaisa were recognised with 5 Star awards, the top honours at the event.

 

Aleem Manji, Principal Architect of Aleem Manji Architects, said after the event that winning honours such as these, especially International ones, was a positive reflection that the young firm was making extremely positive strides in the right direction: ‘We take a lot of pride in the fact that we are a not only a wholly Kenyan firm, but also a fairly young one, both in terms of how long we have been in existence, but also in terms of the average age of the people in the firm. It’s encouraging to see that we are capable of matching the more established firms in the market in terms of quality of architectural output, and these awards further reinforce our belief that we are more than ready to take on even bigger challenges in the future’.

The International Property Awards are open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the globe. They celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry. An International Property Award is a world-renowned mark of excellence. The awards are split into regions covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, UK and USA. Participants enter at their relevant national level and are judged by a highly experienced team of professionals who cover the whole range of property disciplines.

 

The Elegance is a commercial building in Westlands, Nairobi, which broke ground in February 2016. The design principle of the building is fairly simple; the office floor level plates rotate at the centre by around 5 degrees clockwise with every additional floor, akin to a deck of cards being fanned out from the centre. A challenge with this system was the sheer length of the cantilevers at the upper floors, which lead the architects to rethink the structure and in the process, the building itself, and how it could be made better and more efficient. This led to the practice working with systems which are fairly new to the Kenyan market.

Rumaisa, in Riverside, Nairobi, when complete will consist of 66 three and four bedroom duplex apartments, intended as not just a housing solution, but as a lifestyle solution as well. The project incorporates ample lifestyle enhancements, such as a 200m long rooftop infinity edge swimming pool, children’s play area, a fully equipped gym (including steam rooms and Jacuzzis) as well as an indoor entertainment area.

The completed Crystal Edge, consisting of nine four bedroom duplex apartments is located along the serene General Mathenge Road in Nairobi. The duplexes offer the finest comfort, privacy and security with finishes that exhibit an eclecticism that reflects the current design trends; the creation of quality space, magnificent functionality and subtle aesthetic.

Taking home awards of this nature, in a global competition, is testament to the talent and work ethic of this proudly Kenyan architectural practice. “We take great pride in the fact that a wholly Kenyan architectural firm is capable of eliciting international recognition for the work we do,” says Aleem. “Needless to say, this serves as an extremely positive affirmation to the young, hardworking team here at Aleem Manji Architects that the work that we do, the pride that we take in it, and the passion we pour into it, does bear fruit.”