Construction Credit Trust Kenya - CCT, Commodore Office Suites, Suite 4A, Nairobi (2026)

02/11/2016

We congratulate Machakos County for their commitment to development through youth empowerment

09/06/2016

How to Build Using Bamboo

Bamboo as a construction material is known for very long time and through the years it’s constructing process has been developed. The images bellow are showing one simple way of using bamboo and there are also photos making the sketches alive. If you love this traditional building material.

25/04/2016

POWER FROM THE SUN: STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY’S 600kW Solar Project

Strathmore University, a privately owned Kenyan University has become the first educational institution in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve a zero-carbon foot print. On June 24th 2014, Strathmore University switched on a 600kW photovoltaic (PV) solar energy system that has the capacity to generate enough electricity to satisfy most of the consumption needs of its 1,000 strong campus for over 25yrs translating to a savings cost of $200,000 a year.

A PV solar power plant works by converting UV rays from the sun into electricity. The UV rays are captured from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) by use of inverters. The project is a first on many counts with 2400 panels on the roofs of six buildings and 30 inverters; it is the largest rooftop solar installation in Sub Saharan Africa. As a green technology project the university now boasts of reducing carbon dioxide emission equivalent to planting between 700 and 850 trees a year. In a continent characterized by power outages, Strathmore becomes the first and largest producer of solar power to sell energy to electricity distributor Kenya Power, since their system generates enough to meet their own needs and supply between 200-400 MW hours into the national grid. The university’s monthly bill of 2.3 million is now a thing of the past, by tying into Kenya’s Vision 2030 goals, the Strathmore project bolsters the country’s move towards increased energy generation and distribution. The Vision 2030 renewable energy goals as well as MDGs received a boost in January 2014 after nine sites for solar power plants were identified to meet more than half of the country‘s electricity needs by 2016.

Construction on the Strathmore PV project started in January 2014, but the idea has been three and a half years in the making. In 2011, the privately owned university received a Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award for its business school which capitalizes on natural lighting and air, and has a Building Management System that allows a 20% saving on electricity costs. A 10kW solar project was installed at the time to subsidize the energy demands of its kitchen and student center. The installation at Strathmore University was designed and built by a local engineering firm, Questworks Ltd, through its subsidiary company, Renewable Energy Solutions (RESOL). Questwork’s role in this project was project management, system sizing, structural and electrical design, sourcing of components, Installation and maintenance. The firm performed a feasibility analysis using actual power usage and probabilistic modelling allowing them to determine and recommend an optimum system size that meets the client’s needs and was financially viable.
Financial viability of a solar system of this size can only be assured if the system continues to function as envisaged during the feasibility stage. This is not always the case if the system maintenance is not done properly. This is one of the challenges that the university has overcome by using a maintenance model that is output based and making use of panel level monitoring – a first of its kind in Sub Saharan Africa. People managing the project are able to log-in and monitor the power produced by each panel on a real-time basis, allowing any potential problems to be spotted and arrested immediately. This system which took RESOL 4 months to deliver, is entirely on-grid and will not have any storage batteries. This largely due to the high purchase and maintenance cost of storage equipment. To finance the project, the University secured green funds at concessionary rates from the Cooperative bank. Similar solar plants in Kenya include a 500 kWp system at the UNEP headquarters, one at the Williamson tea factory.
Such solar photovoltaic installations are ideal for institutions like schools and hospitals and industries, whose power demand levels are very high during the day. This ensures that there is little or no reliance on electricity from the national distributor while cutting down utility bills.
Kenya is located inside the Equator hence there is great potential for solar energy as the country is well endowed with this resource and other renewable energy such as, wind, biomass, bio fuel, geothermal and hydropower among others. There is large potential of renewable energy but limited utilization. However, interest in renewable energy is growing due to:
• Unmet electricity demand (e.g only 5% of rural and 51% of urban areas has electricity).
• Increasing global oil and gas prices.
• Environmental pressure.
The Vision 2030(1) projects that Kenya will be a middle income country by 2030, with the corresponding required system capacity at 15,000MW. Solar PV is estimated to generate 500MW of electricity by the year 2030. The solar market size is USD 6-8million per annum and growing at perhaps 10% per annum. Applications are wide-ranging from relatively new LED lighting packages to basic solar home systems and large systems for business and public institutions. The Kenya power market is characterized by:
• Steady and high-demand growth
• Substantial investment in additional generation capacity during the last decade,
• Persistent power shortages and frequent load shedding,
• A continuing vulnerability to drought-induced shortfalls in hydro generation capacity,
• An increased role of private-sector participation, and a prioritization of large-scale projects (in particular geothermal power generation).
The potential of small/medium-scale RE power generation remains largely untapped. Specifically, solar PV technology continues to play a peripheral role. While Kenya enjoys a very active PV market, this is mostly limited to the below 50W off-grid solar home systems (SHS). There has been no systematic role played by the Government or industry to move solar to the grid-connected category where 95% of the global PV market is today. There is hope that the Strathmore project will inspire many more developers and consultants to embrace renewable energy, and especially solar power.

SOURCE: THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR JULY-SEPTEMBET 2014 | Vol. 016 Issue 003

25/04/2016

Nairobi surprised critics this week with its appetite for new buildings when the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) announced six planned storeyed projects.

While several banks’ gave a grim forecast of Nairobi’s skyscrapers and malls, NEMA reports indicate that several properties with more than 25 floors are planned in Westlands, Upper Hill and a residential property in Kasarani at Clayworks, which will see 560 units put up in 14-storeyed blocks.

The latest was CBK’s Pension Fund last Thursday, which sought approval for construction of a mixed development property comprising a 300-vehicle parking yard, restaurant, auditorium, offices and a penthouse on its 27th topmost floor.

NEMA also declared a similar 30-day period for the public to give their views on two other properties, Greenfield Developers Ltd’s 35-floor mixed development property comprising offices, retail parking space and serviced apartments off Haile Selassie Avenue in Upper Hill totaling 35 floors.

On its part, the report said that Alexander Forbes’ property would comprise twin towers where one would be 20 floors high, housing 200 retail parking spaces, offices and retail space for letting out, while the other would house office suites rising to 33 floors.

“The developments are advised by the enormous demand for high-end offices that is yet to be satiated, especially in Upper Hill and Westlands,” said Nema’s report.

Upper Hill, dubbed Africa’s fastest rising high-end central business district, has recorded some of Kenya’s and East Africa’s finest buildings. They include the recently completed UAP Towers rising 33 floors that agent Knight Frank has started leasing.

Cytonn’s investments manager Maurice Oduor says, “Kenya could achieve between 5.5 to 6.5 per cent growth if it manages to keep politics out of business in the next year.”

Financial group Britam is also putting the final touches to its 31-floor headquarters, while KCB Group — one of Africa’s leading banks — is preparing to move into its newly finished 24-floor building at Upper Hill.

Several proposals have also been placed by private firms for construction of high-rise buildings, among them Hass Tower 1 and Upper Hill Square, whose sites are now under preparation for Africa’s highest buildings at 66 floors. Currently, South Africa’s Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, at 50 floors, is the highest building on the continent.

Interestingly for Hass, it plans to build a second tower with 40 floors at the same venue.

29/02/2016

Benefits of employer training their workforce, the training will:

1. Increase employee motivation and promote greater job satisfaction, which in turn results in staff retention. Low turnover will prevent you from spending a lot of time and money in constantly interviewing and inducting new employees.

2. Build a sense of worth in your staff and increase their efficiency and innovation. This translates to higher company productivity and customer satisfaction. Training your staff makes it possible for your firm to maintain a consistent level of service that your clients can rely on.

3. Give you a chance to choose which skills your staff acquires, targeting those skills that will best meet the needs and goals of your firm.

4. Create the capacity for your firm to adopt new technologies and methods and thus remain relevant in an ever-changing business environment. It will give your firm a competitive edge in this information age where organizations are valued not only on their financial capital, but also their intellectual capital.

As a trainee, you stand to benefit in the following ways among others:

1. Training will build your confidence, credibility and self esteem as your knowledge base increases and your skills get sharpened

2. You will be better placed to cope with change as you regularly update your skill set.

3. Training will help you identify gaps in your knowledge and experience and offer solutions on how to best meet these deficiencies.

4. Training will keep you motivated and fresh and increase your chances of earning a higher income.

5. Your mobility will improve. With a refined and up-to-date skill set, demand for your expertise and services will never run out.

29/02/2016

Generosity is not giving that which I need that you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do - Kahil Gibran

Have a constructive Week

27/02/2016

Fraudulent contractors in Kenya who flout rules, guidelines and regulations governing the construction industry in the country have been cautioned of dire consequences.

The Secretary in the building inspectorate at the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development, Moses Nyakiongera says the government has rolled out a nationwide inspection of all the buildings as ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mr. Nyakiongera said "A technical team is going around the country to inspect all buildings under construction. Although it might take time I can assure you that we will catch up with those risking other people's lives through failure to abide by construction regulations".

Nyakiongera consequently called on contractors to be prudent and avoid wasting resources on shoddy work since buildings built without adherence to the law will be demolished since they pose danger to users.

Nyakiongera insisted, "Last year a total of 17 houses collapsed, this year we have not had any such incident apart from a wall that collapsed in Nakuru and we do not want to hear of another collapsing".

Nyakiongera was speaking to the press at the site of a six storey building which has developed serious cracks on the ground floor and the walls forcing officials from the National Construction Authority Kenya. to order occupants to evacuate the house yesterday.

The Secretary said that they have launched an investigation into how the building was built and they will release a final report and there is a possibility of the owner being asked to bring it down. He added that they are soon going to release an emergency number to the members of the public where they can report any risky construction.

"We cannot be everywhere, security starts with you and me and therefore we want the members of the public to assist us by sharing information", he explained.

VIA: Construction Review Online

26/02/2016

Mathare Community Education Development Organization (MCEDO) is a community-based organization and a school located in Mathare Valley, an informal settlement in Nairobi. The initial structure of the school was built 6 years ago, with a layout of two rows of classrooms lining up one courtyard in between, allowing better lighting and ventilation for the classrooms on both sides. The expansion of MCEDO was sponsored by the Kenya-China Trade and Economic Association and designed by a team from the Architecture Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

MCEDO's location at the border of the community, facing small piece of open ground, offers better opportunity for its expansion. Existing school buildings include two rows of brick classrooms connected by a bridge, and an independent kitchen, with two rows of shacks lining up the edge of the plots. Absence of a well-finished pavement on the ground forces the children to study with their feet on the wet muddy floor in the shacks during the rainy seasons. The donation of the new building allowed the school to replace those temporary shacks with structures of better quality.

The social environment and school semester schedules demanded that the construction be done within a limited timeframe. Fortunately, fast construction was not new to the architectural team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The team has been working on pre-fab construction since 2008 and has developed multiple systems that adapt to a variety of site conditions.

The logic for such systems is their simplicity; basic structural units are manufactured in factories and the main construction work on site is in the stacking of these units together in designated sequences. In the case of MCEDO, the accessibility of the site and the open ground facing the school allowed the use of heavy machinery, which further accelerated the progress on site.

The light-weight structure requires less materials and energy in foundation construction. Calculations show that such a building weighs 190 kg/ m2, approximately 1/6 of the average brick structure. This means that foundation construction can be simplified. The 2 rows of 2-storey buildings are supported by 78 pillars that go 50cm deep into the ground each standing on an 80cm square footing.

Soil excavation was not necessary even though the original had a 20cm height difference on two sides of the plot. The leveling and the alignment of the pillars is what became essential. The pillars have a 25cm diameter thus the contact surface with the floor slabs is limited, this demanded extra accuracy in design and construction.

In order to control the quality of the pre-fab products, all the structural units are produced in factories in China and are shipped to Mombasa in containers. The structural units are designed to fit into the containers in a very compact gesture for budget logistic purposes. Because the standard volume of a container is 2.35m x 2.35m x 12.03m, all the floor slabs for the new wing of MCEDO were given the size of 2.30m x 5.90m, so that each container could fit two piles of floor slabs.

The units have a foldable feature dedicated to compact shipping and rapid assembly on site. Floor and ceiling panels are connected with y-shaped columns. All structural parts are connected with hinged joints. Different types of bolts are applied following force analysis. When joints are loosened, the solid frames can be folded into panels. This design ensures a high-quality building is put up promptly in a dense and complex environment such as Mathare Valley. In the same token the whole building can be disassembled and reassembled with ease.

The containers arrived on the site on Aug. 28th, 2014. The structure assembly took 7 days and was finished on Sep. 3rd, during which heavy raining occurred and lasted for 2 days and forced the construction to stop for 48 hours. It therefore means that when conditions allow, a structure of 580 m2 (two-floor classrooms) can be completed in 5 days.

A 30-ton crane was hired to assist the structure assembly. The structural part includes the floor and roofing panels and the columns. When these parts are erected and fixed, the rest of the installation is designated to be managed by hand tools. Wall panels, door panels and window panels slide into the spaces in between beams, blocked by C-channels at two ends which are attached to the beams vertically.

Except for the crane operator, all construction workers were hired from the community. The headmaster organized a monitoring team of teachers, a contractor and a security manager. This team became the focal point of reaching out to the local resources. When it came to light and safe works such as stacking materials and tidying up floors and walls, school kids and their mothers were essential for capacity building in the community, and also helps bond the future users of the spaces to their physical environment.

The project aims at an environmental-friendly construction and a user-friendly product. The prefab system guarantees that field work takes a shorter time and no contamination is made during assembling. The system also provides an opportunity to integrate self-sustaining power provision into the design. The facade towards the open ground to the west has a mobile feature: when kids find the afternoon glare too much, they can easily slide the aluminum sun-shields outside the windows to prevent the glare. This makes classes not only comfortable but also fun to the kids.

The image of the new building in the informal dwelling setup has had significant social impact. It becoming a landmark in the area will be a demonstration of the importance of community facilities in such settlements, functioning as a link between the "formal" building industry and the actually sophisticated social networks and building industries within the "informal" communities. The architectural team from CUHK constantly keeps in the loop with the running of the building and offers constant support. It is also dedicated to establishing a network of local expertise in Kenya so that more communities can benefit from such building systems and comprehensive maintenance can be achieved on a larger scale.

(The writer is a Master in Urban Design from the Technical University of Berlin, She is currently a PhD candidate in architecture at Shanghai Tongji University, and a senior project manager from the School of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She worked as a consultant for projects in Kisumu and Nairobi during her internship at the UN-Habitat).

VIA: Huang, Zhengli. "Quality with Efficiency: The MCEDO School in Mathare Valley." The Quantity Surveyor OCT-DEC 2014: pg 8-10. Print

PERORATION
As the major donor, the Chinese Government provided US$ 25,000 to MCEDO for the construction of the new school building, which consists of nine classrooms, a computer room, a staff room, a storage room, and a kitchen. The new school building will eliminate high rent costs formerly paid by the all-volunteer run school. Numerous other donors supported the project, including the World Food Programme, which is providing meals for the students during the school week. YEP! (Youth Empowerment Programme!) members recently planted a bamboo grove to add some greenery to the school grounds, with seedlings donated by ICRAF.

YEP! (Youth Empowerment Programme!), the volunteer network of interns, consultants and staff serving at the United Nations in Nairobi, has been supporting MCEDO since August 2005. YEP! member Claudia Hasse said that procuring electricity, water, and registering MCEDO-Beijing School as an official school are the next steps. "I hope this school will be sustainable and will begin securing its own income in the near future" Claudia said.

25/02/2016

SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION

Most people are conversant with "green buildings". What most people don't know is the procedure behind the classification of green buildings, How is it that some buildings are rated greener than others yet all of them are sustainable? Why do some buildings win Green Building Awards, while the rest don't?

With the onset of sustainable development, more and more buildings lay claim to sustainability. There was therefore an urgent need to assess buildings and set a criterion by which they could be scored, this lead to the development of BUILDING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT METHODS (BEAMS).

The criteria by which BEAMS evaluate buildings are based on thorough scientific, technical, physical and environmental research an involve a consortium of experts from various fields.

BEAMS therefore analyse all aspects of a building right from its design, products, materials and methods used in construction, cost efficiency as well as its environmental impact and efficiency in resource utilization. The building is then given a score board against the variables. It is important to note that some of the green building evaluation methods may focus on one major factor e.g. energy efficiency and carbon footprint hence a building's rating is therefore dependent on the BEAM that is, being used to assess it.

These are various global green building assessment tools, among the major ones are BREEAM, LEED, CASBEE and Green Star.

1. Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
This was the first ever sustainability assessment tool having been launched in 1990 in the United Kingdom. Being the first in the industry, it paved the way for the other assessment tools and indeed most countries have borrowed the BREEAM format and modified it to suit their local scenes. Over 250,000 buildings have been certified since its inception.

BREEAM is very comprehensive and encompasses broad categories right form energy to ecology. It's criteria therefore evaluate a building against set benchmarks such as its energy and water usage, internal environment (health and comfort), pollution, transport, waste, ecology and management processes.

2. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
LEED is a green building certification system that was developed in the United States Green Building Council in 1998. Like BREEAM, it is quite comprehensive and covers all types of construction from new buildings to fit-outs. The green building assessment tool has been modified by countries such as Canada, India and Brazil to suit their country's legal and environmental systems.

3. Green Star
This is an Australian green building assessment tool launched in 2002. It was moulded according to BREEAM and LEED standards. Country specifications of this assessment tool have been adopted in South Africa and New Zealand as well. Being relatively new, it has managed to certify roughly 345 buildings.

Green-Star allows for certification of separate categories such as the precinct planning and development through its Green-Star Communities certification, Green-Star Design and As Built for building design and construction, Green-Star Interiors for Fit out design and construction as well as Green-Star Performance certification for building operations and maintenance.

4. Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE)
CASBEE was a joint industrial, government and academic venture developed by the Japanese government through its ministries of land, infrastructure and urban development. The assessment system also covers predesign, new construction, existing building and renovations. Other categories for urban heat island effect, urban development and temporary works have also been incorporated. It is not a popular assessment tool globally but has been modified for use mostly in Asian countries.

Pros of BEAMs
>> Through incorporation of the environmental assessment methods right from pre-design, it is easier to plan as well as cost for a building, it is easier to plan as well as cost for a building as the designers and the building team already have a set of benchmarks to guide them in the process. Furthermore, sustainable and efficient buildings are able to be put up.

>> The real estate value of certified green building in any economy will therefore be superior compared to those that are not.

>> Materials to be used in construction will be sourced responsibly as well as building techniques selected to ensure that there is minimum impact on the environment as the assessment tools also give a guide on the same.

>> Less energy and water consumption result in cost effectiveness.

Cons of BEAMs
>> The assessment tools assume a direct correlation between environmental, technical and physical aspects of the buildings and ignore the user i.e. people are strangely absent from the image. They are assumed as keen participants whose aims are identical to those of the building being sustainable.

>> No amount of design can save the energy bill of an occupant who does not practice energy saving behaviour. Both lifestyle and technology contribute to sustainability and hence must be incorporated when assessing green buildings.

>> Most of the global Green building assessment tools are designed to assess sustainability of buildings in developing countries hence if not adopted to suit the country of use tends to be unfavorable especially for tropical countries. In the rush to develop their own regional assessment tools, many countries tend to copy-paste what is prescribed by LEED and BREEAM and change the specifications without even conducting research. This is quite unfortunate.

>> This building assessment tools also tend to stoic and limit innovation as at times a building may have incorporated design strategies and features beyond those being assessed. This is retrogressive and hence the need for the global building tools to be re-evaluated and revised more frequently.

>> The fad to go green has led to most countries putting up buildings just to obtain the LEED-certified status, without necessarily having the environment in mind. This defeats the essence of sustainable development.

In conclusion, when selecting an appropriate environmental tool, it is important that the tool be as holistic as possible and must not lean towards one aspect of sustainability, at the expense of others.

VIA: Kanda, Leah. "SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION." The Quantity Surveyor Oct-Dec. 2014: Pg 12-13. Print.

24/02/2016

Successful Partnership Practice

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) held a seminar in May 2014 whose theme was "Successful Partnership, Innovations in Building Technology, Materials and Emerging Construction Technology", QS Kimani Mathu, a partner at Mathu & Gichuiri Associates Ltd, was one of the main speakers at the event and he addressed the topic of "Successful Partnership Practice". The following are some of the highlights from his presentation which shed light on professional practice partnerships.

A partnership may be defined as a contractual relationship between two or more persons carrying on a joint business venture with a view to profit, each incurring liability for losses and the right to share in the profits. The main idea behind a partnership is that it creates synergy; the partnering entities produce a greater effect working together than the sum of their individual effects. Qs. Mathu outlined the following as some of the factors to consider when forming a partnership:

1. Legal/Statutory requirements
Partners are required to register the partnership and have a partnership deed which bears the name of the partnership, the partners' names, the type of business to be conducted, the capital contribution of the partners and the prescribed systems for running the business; for instance the procedure to be followed when winding up and dissolving the partnership. The partners also need to put in place structures for the remittance of taxes and management of risk amongst others for example getting professional indemnity for the partners.

2. General Considerations
There should be a clear agreement on how the income/profits will be shared, unlimited liability of partners, the obligations of the partners, resignation procedure, how to break up the partnership and when to do so; whether it will be upon mutual agreement, when the number of partners falls below two or when a court order to that effect is issued. Agreeing on these matters at the onset reduces the chances of disputes arising between the partners later on.

It is important that the partners have a common vision for the business, so as to avoid unnecessary strain and tension in the course of running the business. In addition to this, sharing core values and professional ethics and having a wide range of skills, competencies/capacity, business acumen and positive character traits between the partners is an added advantage to the business.

It is not advisable for partners to be clones of one another, lead the same lifestyle or for them to compete with each other as this lowers the overall productivity of the partnership. As mentioned before, the goal of a partnership is to create SYNERGY; otherwise the individuals are better off running separate ventures individually.

3. Investment
Partners should consider and agree on the ventures to invest in as a partnership and also as individuals. Investing as a partnership has the obvious benefits of increasing the capital base of the business and thus creating even more room for growth. Investing individually provides cushioning for the partners during retirement or in case of dissolution of the partnership.

Caution should however be taken to ensure that the investments ventured into do not have an adverse effect on the partnership. It would not be advisable, for example, for a partner to run another business full time. This compromises the partner's commitment to the partnership and increases the risk of break-up.

4. Succession Planning
It is important to have an employment policy that should also outline when and how to take on new partners and the factors to be considered when signing on new partners. In line with this, there needs to be in place a retirement policy that offers retiring partners a soft landing. For instance the retired partner could continue offering consultancy services to the partnership for an agreed length of time after his or her retirement.

5. New Business and Marketing
The partners need to create a brand for their partnership that will make it stand out through time and attract clients. The partners should have a clear marketing strategy and combine their personal contacts to create a working network for partnership. They may also consider other professional avenues that are open to them to venture into such as Project Management, Procurement Management and Total Facilities Management among others.

As the wise men said, two heads are better than one and having a partner to complement your strengths and make up for your weaknesses will definitely go a long way in helping you achieve your goals and make an impact in the community and society as a whole.

The article is based on a presentation made by QS Kimani Mathu during a seminar hosted by the Architectural Association of Kenya (Quantity Surveyors' Chapter) in May 2014.

VIA: Ajayo Portia. "Successful partnership practice." The Quantity Surveyor Oct-Dec 2014: Pg19. Print.

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