WEB Limited managing director Boniface Chege with his wife and WEB CEO Elizabeth Chege at the company's offices. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA |
What you need to know:
WEB Limited is a construction consultancy keen on promoting green buildings for the sake of future generations.
It is the only one offering such services in East Africa.
The WEB Limited office along Kiambu Road stays cool in the intense noonday heat despite having no air conditioner.
The office, situated at Milestone Business Centre, stands out from others owing to its energy efficient features, including large windows which let in lots of natural light.
Visitors cannot fail to notice its homely ambiance characterised by pot plants arranged meticulously on wooden stands, the friendly staff, bright wall shades and oddly, a kitchenette at the corner.
“We believe in boosting staff productivity by allowing them to work in a relaxed environment which is sufficiently aired and well lit,” says Boniface Chege, the managing director of the company.
WEB Limited is a construction consultancy keen on promoting green buildings for the sake of future generations. It is the only one offering such services in East Africa.
While the concept of green buildings is relatively new in Kenyan, Mr Chege and his wife Elizabeth, who is the company CEO, say they are determined to change perceptions — driven by their passion to do good for society.
Sometime in 2012, seated at their dining table, the duo started the company with one laptop and embarked on researching on potential clients and architects. With Sh5 million seed capital drawn from their savings, the couple employed engineers, moved to an office in Loresho, trained fresh graduates for accreditation and invested in IT since the company’s work is mostly online-based.
“We were fully aware of the challenges ahead including those of explaining to locals the concept of green buildings given its novelty,” says Mrs Chege, who holds two degrees; a Masters in Building Services and another in Design Science for Sustainable Design, both from Australia.
Prior to acquiring the degrees she had worked in the United Kingdom, first as an electrical engineer then as a building service engineer in various projects, including Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.
The terminal, which was opened in 2008, is assembled like a meccano set, with the entire structure held together by bolts. This means that the structure consists of re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces.
Mrs Chege, 36, is not only a Greenstar and LEED-accredited professional but also a nominated chair of the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS) which will be unveiled in April.
KGBS, which works closely with the UN Habitat, is the overseer of the green building agenda in the country. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), on the other hand, is a green building certification programme which recognises best-in-class building strategies and practices.
While she had the option of practising abroad, Ms Chege felt an inner push to return home and not only create employment but be part of professionals constructing buildings with future generations in mind.
After an initial murky start, WEB finally landed a project towards the end of 2012. Today, the company has spread its wings across East Africa with a number of ongoing projects in its portfolio.
The projects include the Garden City retail mall in Nairobi, Chestnut Hills mall in Kampala, LEED for Homes pilot project in Tanzania and Nairobi Business Park Phase II in Nairobi.
Garden City Mall is expected to be the largest and most innovative retail mall in the region. Chestnut Hills is an ultra-modern mall comprising of, among other things, coffee shops, a supermarket, restaurants, banks and food court terrace.
It seeks to set the standard in green buildings and sustainable design in Uganda and in East Africa. Green buildings are designed to use natural, sustainable materials, be energy efficient and reduce water use.
“We prefer coming on board early in the project. This way we choose a site with the developer so that the building achieves more on the sustainability agenda,” says Mrs Chege.
Review and advice
WEB, she adds, prefers materials which have recycled content like steel as opposed to iron ore. The company is keen on proximity of the source market, for instance East Africa as opposed to importing from China.
For buildings already constructed, WEB comes in to review and advice on what needs to be changed to boost human comfort and reduce overhead costs.
Unlike most employers who look for experienced individuals, WEB’s staff comprising eight engineering and IT graduates is young and was picked fresh from campus.
“After recruiting we equip employees with practical skills for the industry, considering that in college focus is mainly on the theoretical part,” says Mr Chege, a member of hip hop group P-Unit.
Using his stage name Boneye and portfolio as an artiste, he occasionally visits schools where he educates pupils on sustainable green buildings and their importance.
The idea being to impart knowledge to the pupils while creating awareness to authorities on the importance of green schools.
