Garden City mall applies for top ‘green’ energy standards

Owners of commercial buildings in Nairobi are dangling green features to attract tenants amid fears of looming glut in the segment.

Two projects —Nairobi Business Park Phase two and Garden City Retail — have are already registered for LEED pre-qualification, a US green building rating system,  becoming the first commercial buildings in East Africa to seek international certification.

The LEED pre-certification commits property owners to design and construct buildings that meet environmentally safe standards set by the US Green Building Council. 
Occupants are able to use natural lighting, solar energy and harvested rain water.

Market players say the inefficient power supply tops list of challenges that are pushing players to green alternatives.

“In the US and Europe we are seeing a significant premium being paid by institutional investors for certified buildings”, said Mentor Management (MM) CEO James Hoddell.

The Nairobi Business Park Phase 2 is a 15,000 square metre property on Nairobi’s Ngong’ Road while Garden City is a 32-acre development on Thika Road.

Foreign investors in Kenya are said to be keen on ‘green’ buildings.

The focus on green features comes amid reports that supply of commercial buildings in Nairobi is nearing its tipping point.

A recent Commercial Office Update report produced by Mentor Management in February indicates projects that Upper Hill and Ngong Road will account for 50 per cent of all completed office space by end of next year. 

The report estimates that other 2.3 million square feet will be delivered in 2016.

“Over supply in the market in 2015/2016 can be attributed to the large amount of office space coming on — stream in Upper Hill and Kilimani during that period,” the report says.

It is estimated that inefficient technology and design account for 20 per cent of energy waste.