Back in 2014 when Avic International Holding Corporation announced plans to set up its Africa headquarters in Kenya, not many fathomed the magnitude of the investment that was coming to Kenya. As a global behemoth based in China, Avic has interests in a cross section of sectors and ranks among the Fortune 500 companies. Opting to have its headquarters in Nairobi was thus a significant statement not only on Kenya’s strategic interest to China but also on the country’s importance as a continental economic powerhouse.
“Our company has set up holding subsidiaries in major cities across China, has established over 110 branches in more than 50 countries and owns eight listed companies. In Africa, we have around 20 branches, and Kenya is planned as our headquarters in Africa,” said Huang Hong, Avic International Africa Director back then.
Cumulatively, the company committed to invest KSh20 billion in Kenya. The amount has since doubled to KSh40 billion, with KSh25 billion being committed in the construction of the ultra-modern Global Trade Centre skyscraper minicity that is transforming the skyline of Nairobi’s central business district (CBD) and putting Kenya on the global map in terms of futuristic buildings.
Undoubtedly, GTC is the face of marvelous architectural and structural engineering works. Already partially open, the mixed-use development today hosts the tallest office space not only in Kenya but across East and Central Africa. For Westlands, an area where the Nairobi County Government is transforming from residential to an extension of the Nairobi CBD, GTC is a testament of the area’s ability to accommodate modern buildings.
Unknown to many, GTC has managed to stand tall in Nairobi’s skyline not only because of Avic’s decision to set its Africa headquarters in Nairobi but also due to the hard work, commitment and dedication of a retinue of consultants both local and foreign. Among them, and one that has played a central role in its construction, is Triad Architects. “When you look at the duties of an architect, we have played the biggest role in the construction of GTC,” says Julius Kibwage, GTC Project Director.
To a large extent, Triad’s involvement with the biggest project north of Limpopo and south of the Sahara was a no brainer. Triad is a top architectural firm in Kenya with iconic projects to its name. In fact, the firm’s signature is inscribed in many buildings in Kenya and across the African continent.
Thus when Avic International Real Estate, a subsidiary of Avic International, ran an architectural competition to select consulting architects to do the design and construction supervision of the project, it was obvious for Triad to participate.
The competition attracted significant interest from local and international consultants, with China based GMP Architects being appointed to provide the concept design while Triad was appointed as the implementing architects. The two consultants embarked on a collaborative journey to design and implement the project, a task that was both audacious and exciting.
“Avic, a global client, wanted a concept with a level of international touch as well as international experience. GMP was appointed because they have done so many global centers,” explains Kibwage. He adds that according to the brief, the client was looking for an efficient building that responds well to local conditions and an economic solution that is upmarket, modern, technological savvy as well as responds to the environment. “The solution by GMP was far superior and adequately met the client’s needs,” he notes, adding that the building is classy enough to attract corporate clients and meets local standards.
Built on a 7.6 acre plot in Westlands, GTC is one sophisticatedly designed and extraordinary mixed-use development consisting of six towers. The main tower, a 42-storey building, is an ultra-modern office block that will be the highest office block in Nairobi with spectacular views of the city and the surrounding environs. Apart from housing Avic International headquarters, the office block is designed to be the preferred offices for Fortune 500 companies and other international and local organizations seeking for the ideal work environment with an international setup and touch. Continued on page 15
The second 32-storey building is a high-end hotel. Avic signed an agreement with Marriott International, the largest hotel chain in the world with operations in 131 countries to operate the five-star JW Marriott hotel. The hotel offers 317 guestrooms and 51 serviced apartments, an 800 square meter grand ballroom and seven conference rooms. The other four towers are intended to be apartment blocks, with Avic planning to sell and rent units.
As a unique mixed-use-development, GTC is designed to provide a peaceful home and an inspiring work environment for the leading elites in the corporate world. It has distinguished volumes crafted with top finishes to reflect opulence and elegance. The language spoken here represents the long existence of a prudent culture.
The residential complex comprises apartment blocks with a range of units from 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom units. The serviced luxurious apartments rise from between 28 and 31 floors above ground in the four blocks and offer spectacular views of Nairobi’s CBD from the vantage point where the establishment sits.
GTC will also have a mall in the podium of the western wing. It is designed to provide various services to the users. The mall is developed at the heart of the complex offering visual continuity and special correlation with the other developments through a glass façade.
Of importance, GTC has lived up to its billing in terms of a modern building in the aspects of sustainability and smart projects. In terms of sustainability, the building is well oriented and positioned to receive the best natural lighting with minimum impact on adjacent buildings despite standing significantly higher than them.
The building also comes with green aspects of recycling of water and efficient use of water and energy. Rain water is harvested for use in irrigation, toilet flushing and cleaning. Energy consumption is kept low by use of smart lighting and energy efficient fittings. The buildings also feature numerous solar panels for heating water.
“GTC is probably as smart as any building of its time,” avers Kibwage. He adds that as part of measures to make the building efficient in terms of energy use, the lighting systems are designed to go on when a person enters a room. “We’ve also used LED technology that uses little energy and is very efficient,” he notes, adding that security and fire systems are high tech making GTC not only one of the most secure establishments but also the safest.
Notably, the features of GTC do not tell the whole story because the implementation of the project has been a grueling process for the team of consultants and workers. At the height of the construction process, the project employed as many as 1,000 workers providing a livelihood for many households.
Due to the sheer scale of the project, it has been a tough journey for Triad in coordinating and supervising its implementation. Triad’s employees, particularly project architects Sujesh Patel and Julius Talaam also spent weeks in Beijing where they worked closely with GMP architects, Services and Structural Engineers at the design stage.
In fact, the Triad team contributed valuable insights at the design stage centered on many local factors including the environment, privacy set up in the apartment units among others. “GMP consulted us heavily while doing the concept design,” explains Kibwage who also had to make several trips to China and held numerous meetings with the various teams involved in the project.
For Triad, a key aspect of the project involved getting the necessary approvals from the Nairobi County government and other national government agencies like the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). Owing to the scale of the project, the various agencies took months to study and understand the project. While Triad had a long history of good working relationships with the government agencies, it was vital for them not to rush the approval process and needed to get everything right.
According to Kibwage, while the approval process took long, it was worthwhile because county government officials granted the approvals with a clear understanding that GTC would not have any adverse impacts. He adds that the county government was also happy that there was a foreign investor ready to invest in their vision of upgrading Westlands to be part of the CBD.
SOME KEY PEOPLE IN THE PROJECT
As an architectural and engineering marvel, Triad has ensured that the construction of GTC went by the book and to the letter. Apart from having a team specifically dedicated to the project, including a team of 10 staff members for almost two years, Triad had its own architect on site solving any design issues that could crop up. At some point the firm had two architects. And unlike in other projects, the construction of GTC has been one project where the safety standards have been very high.
Though being implemented by a global conglomerate, the need to contribute to the local economy has been vital for Avic. More importantly though has been the use of local materials like cement, steel, blocks, cables, pipes among others. Being a huge project, it means that many local companies have been direct beneficiaries of the project. “We only imported materials that are not locally available,” says Kibwage, adding that this was a positive commitment by Avic to empower local industries because the company had the liberty to import materials, some at much lower prices than what the local market was offering. The successful implementation of the project is an accomplishment that Triad is proud of, and one that propels the Kenyan practice to new heights. In fact, the fact that GTC is nearing completion largely in line with the agreed timelines despite Covid-19 pandemic disruptions is reason enough for Triad to celebrate. “We put our best foot forward on this project and we feel honoured by the outcome,” avers Kibwage.
As the project gears for completion, there is no doubt the development and operation of GTC will significantly create business opportunities for the Kenyan economy and improve the overall business level of the country. More importantly, the project is bound to be the face of local capacity in the ability to implement huge projects, a feat that has the potential to attract more global corporations into Kenya.
GTC: A FERTILE TRAINING GROUND AND TEST OF LOCAL CAPACITY
The Kenyan architectural landscape boasts renowned practices that have designed and overseen the construction of iconic and breathtaking buildings in the country and across the continent. However, when compared to firms in the developed world and emerging economies, the capacity and exposure of local firms remains largely limited.
“We take pride as one of the best architectural firms but our exposure (in terms of grand developments) is still somehow limited compared to large firms in developed countries,” says Julius Kibwage, GTC Project Director and Partner at Triad Architects. He adds that while Avic International saw the need to appoint a local firm to collaborate closely with overseas consultants in executing the project in line with the client’s brief, the fact that Triad was able to execute the project very well speaks volumes about the capacity of local consultants. It is testament that Kenya firms can be entrusted with projects irrespective of their magnitude.
For Triad, being selected as part of a team of consultants to oversee the implementation of Avic International Real Estate Africa headquarters complex in Nairobi added a glittering feather in its rich history. Here was a project that would not only propel Triad to the international sphere but would also offer the best learning experience under the tutelage of a global practice that is among the leading architectural firms in the world.
GMP Architects, which boasts a rich history dating back about five decades and with offices in Germany, China and Vietnam, has built a global brand going by the projects the firm has designed and implemented. Driven by a philosophy of designing things that are simple enough to maintain relevance and preclude obsolescence, GMP is the brain behind some of the most iconic buildings across the globe.
Working with GMP on the GTC project was thus not only a big honour for Triad but also offered a fertile ground to learning and gaining international experience going by the sheer size of the project that happens to be the biggest in East and Central Africa. Apart from gaining in terms of technology transfer, the knowledge the firm gained was immense. Notably, the knowledge would not only be beneficial to Triad but also on a wider scale the local industry.
“For us it was a learning exercise and gaining and sharing of experience,” states Kibwage, adding that Triad dealt exclusively with the GMP Beijing and Shenzhen offices that were responsible for the concept design of the project.
Triad staff travelled to China on many occasions and benefited immensely on technology transfer. The trips were beneficial in exposing Triad a lot more to what the client wanted. The trips included visits to Avic’s projects in several cities to have a firsthand feel of what the client envisaged. During these trips, Triad got to work with GMP architects in the concept design of the project, rendering valuable insights while learning new trends in architecture.
Also of critical importance during the trips was that Triad was able to visit several companies that were manufacturing some of the components for the project, something that was going to assist the firm in making the correct specifications.
Sujesh Patel, one of the GTC project architects, reckons that working in GMP offices was not only vital and necessary in ensuring timely implementation of the project but was an eye opener in terms of how global practices execute projects. “Global firms are ahead of us in many aspects and I was able to gather immense knowledge,” he explains.
According to the Triad team, the lessons accrued by working with international consultants on the GTC project have been many. On a general perspective, they include the need to lift the standards of buildings coming up particularly in Nairobi. While emphasis on proper planning and high quality buildings is a core principle in mature markets, in Kenya standards are wanting. “We need to lift our standards up, not build concrete jungles,” observes Kibwage.
Another vital lesson is on the importance of ethics and professional conduct. For Kenyan firms to break the glass ceiling and compete effectively for global projects, adhering to ethics and high standards of professionalism is paramount.
For Triad, which bore the biggest responsibility in the implementation of the GTC project, the successful execution of the project gives the firm the muscle and confidence to compete for any project in the future.
Some Young Engineers Who Worked on the Project
