Excellent architecture should be impactful and fulfilling. In deed to paraphrase Zaha Hadid, a famous British Iraqi architect, architecture is really about well-being in that people must feel good in a space because on the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure. For Sycum Solutions, an architectural and construction management consultancy based in Nairobi, this is a principle it has adopted and is evident even in its vision statement: to create places and spaces that enhance people’s lives.
The firm’s desire to enhance lives comes from an innate belief of its founder and managing partner, Sylvia Kasanga, which has seen the firm adopt the mantra of form follows function. “We must appreciate the skyline is changing but for us the focus is the functions because at the end, buildings must be used. Even as we think of form, the building must function,” says Sylvia, who is also a Nominated Senator.
Since its establishment in 2004, Sycum has ensured that its designs and services are centered on enhancing lives. Indeed its footprint of projects paint a picture of a firm in pursuit of impact and fulfilment. Its services cutting across advisory, project planning and brief development, architecture and urban planning, interior design and fit-out, building/construction management and product design as well as manufacturing are a testament to its strong belief in its purpose.
Over the years, Sycum has made its mark in the industry with many projects cutting across residential, educational and mixed use to commercial buildings. Among its signature projects include LeMac and Lifestyle Heights, residential projects that have redefined living standards by blending comfort and aesthetics. The firm also boasts of Lukenya University, a unique project in which the client is flexible in experimenting with alternative building materials, specifically hydraform, in order to cut costs. Sycum also partnered with an international firm in the Purple Haze project where it was the executing architect.
“My work as an architect is very fulfilling,” says Sylvia, adding that her job is a way of life and not a means of making money. The fulfilment comes from the fact that the Architect is largely in the driver’s seat leading the rest of the team to actualize the vision. The most fulfilling part is seeing a building in use – not just one day, but for a lifetime, impacting on the daily experience of the user.
Although she is a Senator, politics has failed to appeal to her owing to the fact that “one is never in control”. “No day in the house of parliament is the same as the last. Outcomes are dependent on too many factors most of which are beyond one person’s control. It’s the nature of our politics” she says.
During her time at the Senate, Sylvia has been a champion of mental health and has published a mental health bill, passed it at the Senate and is pending at National Assembly. She has worked closely with the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) by bringing to parliament the concerns of the Association and the industry at large.
For Sylvia, her profession and practice come first. Yet, it is ironic to note that she became an architect by default rather than by choice. Up until form four, Sylvia grew up without a clear aspiration of what she wanted to be and when the time came to choose her career path, her first choice was business administration with architecture coming second, survey third and building economics fourth.
“Being an architect was not my childhood dream. In fact I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up,” she explains. She adds that despite choosing the University of Nairobi, her letter of admission to university came from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) admitting her to pursue architecture. In line with her desire to pursue business administration, she had already enrolled at Strathmore University to study accounts as she waited to join university. For Sylvia, a tour of the architecture block at JKUAT changed her mind set and put her on the path to becoming an architect. “I went to JKUAT one day and found a lecturer, Professor Otoki, who was in good moods and who took me on a tour of the department. That changed everything,” she recalls.
Sylvia was certain that she never wanted to be employed, something that meant plunging into private practice immediately. Luckily for her, Sycum Solutions opened its doors at the opportune moment. A change of regime from the Kanu government to the Narc government had ushered in a renewed sense of optimism in Kenya and the early signs showed the country was on a journey to economic transformation.
“We came in at just about the right time. The building and construction sector had started to pick and it was a very good time for business,” notes Sylvia. The favourable macroeconomic environment, coupled by coming from a background where her parents were doing developments meant that she did not have to struggle to get her first client. “I was lucky to have parents who do development and my first clients were actually my parents. By designing for them I started getting referrals,” she says, adding that although it is usually difficult for a young consultancy, business was promising.
Indeed it did not take long for Sycum Solutions to clinch its breakthrough project. Just two years after establishment, and while pursuing her MBA at the United States International University, Sycum got its first big client in the form of Mark Properties Ltd, a company that was building residential apartments. Apart from creating a long lasting partnership that would result in Mark Properties Ltd being a regular client, the project opened a floodgate of clients for the firm. Over the years, Sycum has implemented four projects for Mark Properties Ltd.
Being a new practice, Mark Properties Ltd’s first project, Mark Apartments was the ideal learning experience for Sylvia. One big lesson was the trouble that it took to get building and construction approvals at City Hall considering it took three months to have the project approved. Another big lesson, and one that remains vital, was the need to cultivate relationships with key stakeholders in the building chain. “You need to know how to relate with different people in this industry,” she states.
This was crucial for many reasons. Being a woman in an industry that was back then male-dominated, the bar had been set high. To penetrate, confidence and the ability to deliver was paramount. Building relationships was also important because by its very nature where a project is implemented by several professionals, some with incompatible interests, conflicts and disputes are never far away. This even made Sylvia take up arbitration and she’s today a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a practicing Arbitrator.
Her work as an arbitrator is not only critical for the industry but also for Sycum. Being a dispute resolver, Sylvia is able to understand how issues emerge and evolve, something that helps Sycum in structuring contracts in a way to mitigate disputes and how to deal with them when they emerge. This explains why the firm has extremely low cases of fallout with contractors. “I have even taught my team the tell tales signs that could lead to disputes. Clients see that and appreciate it because it saves them a lot of money,” she states.
Like many other businesses, Sycum felt the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic that crippled the building and construction sector. Though the firm had to cut down on the number of employees, it has managed to withstand the storm and business is slowly picking up. Apprehension however abound because politics could yet again disrupt the economy as the country heads to a general election next year.
According to Sylvia, while Kenyan firms have the skills and ability to undertake any kind of architectural work, a worrying trend is emerging in the industry because of the increasing number of foreign firms. Tragically, the trend is being driven by rising cases of professional malpractices by local firms.
“This is the elephant in the room and as professionals we must address it, lest the entire ship is at stake.”
“Architects at all times must be faithful to the profession which is a way of life. Our code of conduct is clear and we must respect it. If we all upheld the values prescribed in it, we would all benefit and we would not lose job to foreigners. We must have this conversation,” she concludes.
