A modern city, Nairobi boosts 64 high-rise buildings such as Nyayo House and I & M Bank Tower etc., 35 low-rise buildings including Roast House and Pioneer House, 5 skyscrapers There is also a monument, a bell tower and 1 airport tower.
Building types and styles have the ability to enhance and change your lifestyle, improve your outlook, and above all, increase productivity. Similarly, bad building designs can be oppressive and make you miserable. This means that building types and styles can determine a building's investment potential.
What building types and styles are prevalent in Nairobi?
Nairobi has mainly modern buildings. You rarely find traditional building designs except for very old buildings like the Macmillan Library.
Since Nairobi was the capital of the British protectorate of East Africa, most of the building types and styles here have European elements.
As the types and styles of buildings affect our lives, from work and school to communities, in Nairobi, they often express our social status and differ significantly between high-end, middle-class and low-class. quarters. There is considerable diversity between buildings within and outside the CBD.
Building types and styles within the CBD
Both residential and commercial properties in the Nairobi CBD are mostly high-rise buildings with multiple floors, lifts and fire exits, with some having built-in parking areas.
Buildings are constructed using blocks and mortar
Most of them contain a basement, ground floor and mezzanine
The floors and ceilings are made of boards
Recently, buildings use glass, arches, columns, modified metal grids, and customized architectural designs to enhance building types and styles.
Arched masonry is done to improve building designs
Types and styles of buildings outside the CBD
Commercial and residential properties are located here with a maximum of 5 floors above ground.
Properties for industry are made of either block and mortar or a combination of these with metal gratings and iron sheets with cement floors and iron sheets for roofs
Office buildings are similar to those in the CBD but have fewer floors
The properties are semi-detached or detached with block walls separating them
Most of them have separate campuses and parking areas
Building types and styles in low-income neighborhoods
Building types in these areas are often designed to meet the housing needs of residents, and therefore less thought and effort is put into improving building design.
They often include 4-5 storey apartments or single storey houses made of blocks and mortar and divided accordingly into single, double, bed, 1 and 2 bedroom.
Iron sheets are the preferred material for the roofs and the floors are cemented
In the slums or squatter settlements in Nairobi, houses are made of mud or iron sheets for the walls, a smooth mud floor and iron sheets are used for the roof
Most buildings are built in rows and columns, leaving limited space for campuses and parking lots
Building types and styles in middle and upper class neighborhoods
In these neighborhoods, the sophisticated design and style of the buildings are taken into account during construction.
Most mid-range buildings are either maisonettes or high-end apartments situated in gated communities known as estates with a single common entry point. One property can have 25-30 housing units.
Most high end buildings are either single unit homes or old fashioned buildings that feature 6-10 bedrooms, guest wings, servants quarters, large complexes with attached farms/gardens.
Most buildings are installed with concrete tiles and clay roof tiles.
There is a great use of architectural creativity in the style and design of the houses.
Blocks and mortar are often used, although wood and brick are often integrated to enhance the look and design of the buildings.
Go green
As global awareness of the need to protect the environment increases, newer buildings in Nairobi are becoming green by using renewable building materials, installing solar panels, and using translucent iron sheets for lighting, among other things.
In addition, technology and innovation are used to develop futuristic buildings that meet current and future housing needs, such as Tetu City and Konza City.
