The shimmer of a glass wall at Aspire Centre, a building along Waiyaki Way, is no doubt eye-catching. Attractive as it may be, the glass that covers the front part of the building is not only meant to have an aesthetic appeal, but is one of the green features the building has adopted in its design.
The shimmer of a glass wall at Aspire Centre, a building along Waiyaki Way, is no doubt eye-catching. Attractive as it may be, the glass that covers the front part of the building is not only meant to have an aesthetic appeal, but is one of the green features the building has adopted in its design.
The glass façade allows natural lighting into the building and ensures minimal use of electricity during the day save for dull days. Construction of Aspire Centre, which hosts motor dealer Simba Corp, started three years ago with a deliberate goal to incorporate innovative sustainable features geared towards an environment friendly building.
We added two more floors above the old building and extended to the back. As we designed the building it was important for us to incorporate some green elements,” says Chao Sio Group project manager, Simba Corp and a member of the Kenya Green Building Society. Utilising natural lighting and ventilation were the top design priorities of the building that opened in 2016.
A solar reflective glass installed at the front of the building regulates the amount of heat coming into the building, thus minimising need for mechanical ventilation. By installing many windows on the sides of the building, the design further takes advantage of natural ventilation. However, due to the close proximity of the building to a bus stop, this feature has not been effective.
“Noise from the bus stop opposite the building is too much, especially when windows are open, thus we keep them closed and rely on air conditioning,” says Chao. The building has adopted Variant Refrigerant Volume (VRV) air conditioning that is more energy-efficient instead of the usual split system. Aspire Centre has incorporated innovative sustainable features