Riverside's Glitz Enhanced by The Cube

Nairobi's Riverside Area has continued to attract many premium developers, and there has been a flurry of construction activity in the area in recent years. International developers haven't been left behind.

One of the most recent investors in Riverside is the London Town Group, a UK-based company that specializes in property development, software, automation, clean energy, and energy storage services. The Group has constructed a cutting-edge office development with over 83,000 square feet of lettable space in a 6-story building. There are over 250 parking spaces available.

The Cube development was designed by renowned architects BAA. It provides high-quality office space that is built to international stan- dards, providing users with a safe, efficient, and adaptable working environment.

Recognizing current trends in construction, where sustainability is increasingly being emphasized, the development has already achieved advanced EDGE Certification, having taken deliberate steps in design to achieve this important accreditation. The Cube reduces energy consumption by 41%, water consumption by 50%, and the energy embodied in materials by 21%. The building has an unrivaled environmental commitment, as evidenced by the following key sustainability features:

Energy Measures

-External Shading Devices

-Higher Thermal Performance Glass

-Energy-Saving Light Bulbs - Internal Spaces

-Energy-Saving Light Bulbs - External Spaces

-Occupancy Sensors in Bathrooms, Conference

Rooms, and Closed Cabins

-Occupancy Sensors in Open Offices

-Solar Photovoltaics

Water Measures

-Low-Flow Faucets in Bathrooms

-Efficient Flush for Water Closets in All Bathrooms

-Water-Efficient Urinals in all Bathrooms

-Water-Efficient Faucets for Kitchen Sinks

Materials

-Floor Slabs - Concrete Filler Slab

-Roof Construction - Concrete Filler Slab

-External Walls - Curtain Walling (Opaque Element)

-External Walls - Stone Blocks - Machine Cut Unpolished

-Internal Walls - Stone Blocks - Machine Cut Unpolished

-Internal Walls - Stone Blocks - Machine Cut Unpolished

-Flooring - Finished Concrete Floor

Other features that make The Cube a business-friendly address include:

-Generous onsite parking with an excellent parking ratio of 3.3:1000 sq. ft and additional free visitors parking.

-Main power connections with 500KVA and 300KVA Backup Generator.

-3 - High speed passenger lifts.

-Highest standards in security incorporating access control to each floor, 24-hour security and provision for CCTV surveillance.

-Provision for Fibre-optic connectivity and full trunking for data/ power/ -voice.

Project Team

Client:

Riverside Towers Ltd

Architects:

BAA Architects

MEP Engineer:

Designmatic Ltd

Structural Engineer:

Civil Engineering Design (K) Ltd

Quantity Surveyor:

Mace YMR

Interior Design Consultant:

Eryll J. Sharma

Main Contractor:

Mahesh and Tirth Construction Ltd

Electricals:

East Africa Infrastructure Services Ltd

Plumbing:

Plumbuild and Engineering Ltd

Façade:

Alufacade Kenya Ltd

HVAC:

Universal Engineering Systems Ltd

Borehole:

Sparr Drilling Company Ltd

Lifts:

Eng-cons Ltd

Tiles and Sanitary Ware:

Ideal Ceramics Ltd

Purple Tower Wins at Prestigious Property Awards

ThePurple Tower, an ongoing Grade A office development on Mombasa Road in Nairobi has started on a high note even as construction continues. At the prestigious Africa & Arabia Property Awards in Dubai last October, the project won Best Commercial High-Rise Development and Best Commercial High-Rise Architecture, earning the developer a much-needed boost to steer the project.

“It was definitely a proud moment when we got the call from the team at International Property Awards to say that Purple Tower had won in two categories for which we had submitted portfolios”, says Purple Dot International General Manager Jiten Kerai. “We didn’t know whether we had won just the award or also earned 5 Stars for the project, so it was a three week wait until the actual awards event in early October.”

Says Renu Hunjan, Lead Marketing Consultant for Purple Tower: “The Africa & Arabia Property Awards are the largest, most prestigious, and widely recognised programme throughout the regions and so they absolutely embody the standard and caliber to which Purple Dot’s Board and Management looks to having an impact not just on profit but also on people and the planet. To be recognized as an exemplary commercial project in the Africa & Arabia regions speaks to the continued commitment to our investors and for the future as part of our larger business and investment opportunities.”

He notes that a significant part of the judging criteria was sustainability, and Purple Tower’s achievement of EDGE certification was a huge boost in shareholder and investor confidence and also that of the future tenants. “The recognition at a regional and international level is proving to be a strong factor to Grade A office tenants who are already on board the project ahead of completion.”

Purple Tower, whose off-plan sale was unveiled by the developer in May last year, sits along Mombasa Road, hovering just above the Nairobi Expressway. The MUD (Mixed Use Development) is centrally located and strategically nestled near key urban addresses including the city’s CBD (Central Business District), Upperhill, Westlands, Industrial Area, Wilson Airport, and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and SGR Terminal. The 14-floor edifice which is conveniently positioned near the Expressway’s entry/exit lanes parades the following spaces: showroom/retail (ground floor); food and beverage/restaurant (second floor); Grade A offices (third to fourteenth) and conferencing facility (fourteenth). The multiple entry, exit points from the tower significantly cuts down travel time to Mlolongo, Athi River as well as Westlands and Limuru Road.

Purple Tower’s design takes into consideration energy and water consumption saving measures including increased natural ventilation with operable windows, reduced window to wall ratio, external shading devices, energy saving lighting to be used in all internal areas and to be in tenant leases, occupancy sensors in bathrooms, conference rooms, closed cabins/open offices, solar photovoltaics for 20 percent of total energy use. Water saving measures include flow faucets in all bathrooms and kitchen sinks and dual flush for WC in all bathrooms and water efficient urinal. Overall, Purple Tower’s energy savings are estimated to be 27%, water savings at 41% and 33% less embodied energy in building materials used.