AKILI TOWER,
NAIROBI
Situated on the prow of Upper Hill business district overlooking Uhuru Park and the Central Business District of downtown Nairobi, Akili Tower provides 30 storeys of low energy, passive mixed use accommodation in a plan form inspired by the national emblem of a Masaai shield.
The Brief
To explore and maximise the potential of this site in this prominent location providing a building which can be an emblem for this burgeoning new business district, while hosting international business travellers for both accommodation, office space and retail needs. The building should exploit the temperate climate of Nairobi by minimising energy use using passive techniques.
The Challenge
The site location on a promontory of Upper Hill has limited transport infrastructure as does much of the city. Achieving the city’s onerous parking requirement for the development site was critical to unlocking the potential of the site, while encouraging interaction with the building at street level.
The Outcome
- Function The differing uses of the building are expressed in the form. Open inviting retail use encourages interaction with the building at street level welcoming visitors from Uhuru Park into the Upper Hill Business District. This is achieved by moving access to the carpark to the rear of the building and raising the parking into the podium level above. The rock on which Upper Hill stands makes multiple basements prohibitively expensive to carve out.
- Form The offices and serviced apartments of the main tower are separated from the podium by a mezzanined restaurant level opening out onto the podium terrace allowing al fresco dining with panoramic views over the city. The main tower exploits the narrowing nature of the site in adopting the form of an extruded Masaai shield, (The emblem of the Kenyan flag). The Residential element is topped by double height penthouse apartments with high level terraces, visually capping the building.
- Low carbon design While Nairobi is located on the equator, its significant height above sea level provides a temperate climate for humans to thrive. As such the building has been designed to optimise this climate by:
- maximise daylight on every level of the building and minimise need for artificial light during the day.
- Passive chimneys run through all levels of the building and work with partially opening windows on the main facade to encourage passive ventilation and minimise need for air conditioning.
- Serviced apartments have an open air central communal corridor oalow cross ventilation t all apartments
- External shading in the facade designed to maximise daylight & minimising heat gain.
Why This Project Stands Out
An iconic form in a prominent position satisfies the specific needs of this area of Nairobi while being a forward looking energy and environment conscious development that stands to become a great addition to the Nairobi skyline.
Designed in collaboration with Henry Goss Architects The project has received Planning permission.