We are very proud to announce two well-deserved awards at the 2020 AAK (Architectural Association of Kenya) Duracoat Awards of Excellence held at the Nairobi Severa Hotel on the 27th of February. Best Commercial; Building for the Tiara Business Park and Best Institution | Cultural| Education Building for the Crawford International School. Both projects highlight the vision for innovative, sustainable and contextually responsible design that is at the core of the practice.
Best Commercial Building Tiara Business Park
Tiara Business Park is a premier office development in Lavington Nairobi. Located on a compact urban site, the building is expressed as two interlocking L's that create a stacked forum with an atrium space. This creates a social heart for the building, pulls in natural light and creates a harmonious campus environment for tenants.Its design includes transparent facades that allow in optimum light while sun shading screens minimize the solar load on the building. The west facing walls incorporate a solid sun-screen with openings designed to alternate with those on a second glazed wall behind-a solar shading intervention that also doubles up as an effective cleaning platform for the building. Green design principles were applied in features such as solar heating and wastewater treatment.The landscaping design softens the hard edges of the building and helps the integration of the building into its surrounding residential context.
Best Cultural|Institution|Education Building Crawford International School
Crawford International School was designed using extensive research into the effect physical spaces have on learning along with the unique educational needs suitable for an African context. The result is an education 'village 'created with interchangeable and flexible spaces connected by open courtyards planted with indigenous trees. This vibrant plaza is the centre of the 'village' and connects to a community hall, library and sports centre. The interactions fostered through connectivity and play enhance learning opportunities and the school provides a valuable connection to the community it serves. Hand-cut Nairobi Blue Stone from a local quarry was used for wall surfaces reviving a struggling local craft and industry, and visually appealing timber lattices used for solar shading, balustrades and safety rails that reference the wooded forest and location of the school.
