ENERGY MANAGEMENT AWARDS 2014

THE GREEN BUILDING & GREEN ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Introduction

The Energy Management Award (EMA) was launched in 2004 as a collaboration between the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Global Environmental Facility and the Government of Kenya. EMA is organized and managed the Kenya Association of Manufacturers through its Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (CEEC).

EMA is a forum where all the stake holders in the energy sector converge so as to auspiciously celebrate excellence in energy management. The theme for EMA 2014 is “Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence in Sustainable Energy Management”

Participation in the award is open to all industrial, commercial and institutional enterprises. In addition, individuals can participate in the innovative category. Organizers’ receive application forms and assessment tools, which are completed and submitted for evaluation by the technical committee. This team then conducts visits for verification of the submitted data.

The assessments are then presented to the panel of judges, who adjudicate and nominate the winners and runners-ups, based on the set criteria. In 2014 PKF has come on board to further verify the results to ensure transparency.

Integrity Statement

EMA process is open, transparent and governed through:

1. A Technical Committee that deals with the technical assessment. The committee comprises of independent members from key stakeholders.

2. A Panel of Judges who are responsible for selecting winners in a detailed, fair and transparent process.

3. The Advisory Council that provides fair and objective guidance. The Council draws membership from corporate and public executives.

The Awards:

Both the Green Building Award and the Green Architect of the Year Award were introduced this year.

1. Green Building Award:

In the Green Building Award category, buildings for the award were nominated from three (3) pre-determined lists namely:

i) Buildings nominated by AAK members. Communication had been made to All AAK members to nominate buildings they considered suitable for consideration for the EMA awards.

ii) Buildings that were nominated for the 2014 AAK Awards of Excellence in Architecture – Kenya at 50 years (Kenya @50).

iii) Buildings that were selected by AAK for the East African Institute of Architects top 10 buildings in Kenya in the last 100 years.

In addition, the Technical Committee felt that, all buildings for consideration for the awards must have been completed within the last 10 years. This would include older buildings with green /sustainable or environmental design related renovations done within the last 10 years, in line with the EMA awards theme of “10 years of EMA”. The nominated buildings were to have been occupied and in use for at least the last one year and be permanent structures i.e. temporary.

Two (2) checklists were used as criteria for selection of the green building award. One of them is authored by UN-habitat and the other by the University of Nairobi. For next year’s awards, it was agreed that a technical and empirical tool be used for evaluation of energy efficiency in buildings.

The following buildings were selected by the Technical committee for satisfyingthe Criteria for consideration for the awards.

No. / Name of Project / Location / Architect
1 / Manda Airstrip Terminal building / Lamu / Adventis Inhouse Africa
2 / CocaCola East and Central Africa Business Unit Head Office / Nairobi / Triad Architects (Kenya) in collaboration with GAPP Architects & Urban Designers (South Africa)
3 / The LRC, Catholic University of Eastern Africa / Nairobi / Musau Kimeu, Architect
4 / Strathmore University, Phase III / Nairobi / Lexicon Architects
5 / Oleleshwa Primary School / Ewaso Ng’iro / Architect Geoffrey Ochieng Wasonga
6 / Red Pepper House / Lamu / Urko Sanchez Architects
7 / UNEP Building / Nairobi / Beglin Wood Architects
8 / Leven House / Old Town, Mombasa / Mombasa Old Town Conservation Office (MOTCO), Museums of Kenya
9 / Uaso Nyiro Primary School / Laikipia / PITCHAfrica

The results of the buildings with the information available at the time of assessment were as stated below. The criteria used in assessment amounted to a total of 40 marks

No. / Project / Marks / Remarks
1 / The LRC, Catholic University of Eastern Africa / 32 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Completed and occupied in 2012.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls preventing excess glare to the users
-Narrow plan
-Sun shading on all windows
-Natural Lighting
-Location of building services on the East and West facing facades
- High Thermal Mass Walls
-Natural Ventilation
-Use of local materials
-Natural Cooling using a rock bed cooling system
-Light colour on the exterior to reflect solar radiation and reduce heat gains to the building.
-Permeable Landscape.
-Presence of heat buffers.
-Rain water harvesting.
-Oxidation ponds for sewerage.
2 / Cocacola East and Central Africa Business Unit, Nairobi / 28 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Completed and occupied in 2008.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls preventing excess glare to the users.
-Rain water harvesting features are prominent.
-Solar Water Heaters
-Sun shading features on all windows
- Energy Efficient Smart Technology.
-Natural Ventilation
-Light colour on the exterior to reflect solar radiation and prevent heat gains to the building.
-Permeable Landscape.
-Narrow plan.
-Presence of heat buffers.
3 / Oleleshwa Primary School, Ewaso Ng’iro / 26 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Completed and occupied in 2013.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls preventing excess glare to the users.
-Large shaded areas
-Natural Lighting
-Natural Ventilation
- Extensive use of local and recyclable materials.
-Community participation and technology transfer.
-Rain water harvesting.
-Waste water recycling technologies.
-Permeable landscapes
4 / UNEP Building, Nairobi / 25 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Building was completed and occupied in 2010.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls.
-Extensive Use of solar photovoltaic panels.
-Rain water harvesting.
-Waste water recycling technologies.
-Natural Ventilation
-Natural lighting
-Energy efficient building management technologies.
-Permeable landscaping and green areas throughout the building.
-Water saving taps and lavatories
5 / Strathmore University, Phase III / 22 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Completed and occupied in 2010.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls preventing excess glare to the users.
-Sun shading on all windows
-Natural Lighting
-Natural Ventilation
- High Thermal Mass Walls
-Natural Cooling from Cooling Tower.
-Light clolour on the exterior to reflect solar radiation and reduce heat gains to the building.
-Permeable Landscape.
-Energy Efficient building management system.
-Rain water harvesting.
-Waste water recycling technologies.
-Permeable landscapes.
6 / Red Pepper House, Lamu / 18 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Completed and occupied in 2009.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls.
-Large shaded areas provide cooling to internal spaces.
-Natural Lighting
-Natural Ventilation
- Extensive use of local and recyclable materials.
-Use of solar water heating and solar photovoltaic panels.
-Rain water harvesting and uses a water tower that uses gravity to send water to water fixtures.
-Little interference with surrounding landscape and vegetation.
-Permeable landscapes.
7 / Uaso Nyiro Primary School / 15 / Although there was insufficient information on the building, it was still taken through the assessment process with the available information.
-Water collection through an underground reservoir.
-Water recycling technologies.
-Appropriate building technology to prevent cracking from seismic activities. (Lowering maintenance and operational costs)
-Natural Ventilation
-Natural lighting
-Energy efficient building management technologies.
-Permeable landscaping and green areas throughout the building.
-Use of local and recyclable materials.
8 / Manda Airport, Lamu / 12 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Natural Ventilation
-Natural lighting
-Light coloured walls with high thermal mass for cooling.
- Use of solar photovoltaic panels.
-Waste water recycling technologies.
-Use of local construction materials
9 / Leven House, Mombasa / 10 / The building meets all the criteria necessary for assessment.
-Renovations were completed and building was occupied in 2010.
-Optimally oriented for the climate with the major window facades in the North and South facing walls.
-Use of local materials and technology.
-Light coloured walls with high thermal mass for cooling.
-Natural Ventilation

From the above score table, the Winners of Green Building Award are as follows:

1. Winner:The LRC, Catholic University of Eastern Africa

2. First Runners Up:CocaCola, East and Central Africa Business Unit

3. Second Runners Up:Oleleshwa Primary School.

2. Green Architect of the Year:

The Technical Committee felt there was need to base the selection of this award on the following threebroad categories in Architecture, namely:

1. Training

2. Research

3. Practice

It was agreed that a detailed criterianeeds to be developed for selection of the Green Architect of the Year Award for 2015 and beyond. However, the committee felt that during this inaugural award, institutions that have played significant role in shaping green and sustainable architecture in Kenya in the past 10 years be recognized i.e. those institutions which stand out and without their contributions, Kenya would not be where she is today in matters of Green Architecture. This is in line with common practice globally whereby institutions are recognized or a group of people within an institution is recognized for their immense contributions instead of an individual.

After deliberations, the Technical Committee felt that the followinginstitutions should be awarded ‘the architect of the year award’:

1. The Department of Architecture and Building Science, University of Nairobi:

The Technical Committees’ Citation:

Over the last 10 years, the Department of Architecture and Building Science has expanded its research on sustainable architecture from Nairobi to the rest of the East African region, with particular focus on Swahili architecture on the entire East African Coast and Mainland Kenya and Tanzania. Research and publications have been especially dedicated to the East African coastal region from Kismayu in Somalia,the entire Kenyan and Tanzanian Coast to the Mozambique Island in the Mozambique Coast. Research has also gone on to cover mainland Tanzania up to the towns of Kigoma and Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika andmainland Kenya extensively.

Post graduate training in the specialized area of Environmental Design in Architecture is currently offered in the Department of Architecture and Building Science, University of Nairobi wholly dedicated to enriching the field of sustainable architecture. For the last 10 years, the department has on a yearly basis sent its top Bachelor of architecture students to the top international universities in Europe to undertake post-graduate training in the specialized area of Sustainable architecture and Environmental Design. This initiative, which continuous to date has made Kenya to have the highest number of architects with post-graduate training in Sustainable architecture and Environmental Design on the entire African Continent.

This has enable Kenya to have a rich and highly knowledgeable pool of professionals in the field. The training of professionals in the area continues to change the architectural landscape into a more energy and environmental conscious one.

The Committee felt it was important to recognize these efforts by the Department.

2. Environmental Design Consultants (EDC) Chapter, AAK

The Technical Committees’ Citation:

The awareness of green architecture has grown in the country mainly due to the EDC Chapter of AAK. Over the past 5 years, the Chapter has managed to bring to the forefront, the important discussion on the impact of buildings on the environment and more specifically on the energy consumption. The chapter has done this through:

i) Coordinated Conferences with various international and local organization (e.g. BORAQS, UN-Habitatamongst others)

ii) With The Board of Registration of Architects’ and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS), the Chapter has participated in training Architects and Quantity Surveyors matters related to green buildings and thus effectively disseminating knowledge to practitioners in the Built Environment.

iii) Members of the Chapter continue to publish numerous articles in local journals and newspapers,in addition to presentation of research papers in international conferences e.g. PLEA and ISOCARP.

iv) The chapter has also contributed to policy making in Kenya, especially the revised Building Code (The National Building and Planning Regulations and Handbook, and the Energy Policy amongst others.

The Committee felt it was important to recognize these efforts by the EDC Chapter, AAK.

SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS

A. Green Building Award:

1. Winner: The LRC, Catholic University of Eastern Africa
2. First Runners Up: Cocacola East and Central Africa Business Unit Head Office, Nairobi
3. Second Runners Up: Oleleshwa Primary School, Ewaso Ng’iro

B. Green Architect Award:

1. Winner: The Department of Architecture and Building Science, University of Nairobi
1. Winner: Environmental Design Consultants Chapter of The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK)

The Winners were announced in a colourful ceremony held on Friday, 04.04.2014 at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi