New green building to cut costs for tenants

A new seven-floor green building has been commissioned at Pangani, Nairobi County, promising to save tenants a substantial amount of maintenance costs.

Emani Business Centre, a commercial building, has been constructed using current prescriptions of green building and is fitted with windows made of a special self-cleaning material and large open spaces for natural lighting.

The architectural masterpiece overlooking the Thika Superhighway comprises open plan office space on two distinct wings that share an ambient lift, common staircase, fire escapes and two semi-basement parking yards. The building commissioned by Mathare MP Stephen Kariuki last week has been constructed using a curtain wall architecture technique that uses bio-clean glass, which has self-cleaning sealed units with solar control features.

Gerald Ndungu, the architect of the building, said up to two-thirds of heat from the sun is reflected for cooler interiors, and uncomfortable glare from the sun is reduced by over 50 per cent. The building measures 5,000 square metres.