Driving Kenya’s low-carbon and climate-smart building agenda

Sustainable construction not only contributes to the reduction of the environmental impact but also has long-term economic benefits.

The advantages of green buildings are numerous.

These include reduced operating expenses and a higher energy efficiency level, the value of the property, and the comfort of its occupants.

The study and application of these practices can put corporate professionals, project managers, and decision-makers on the frontier of the fast-changing industry into a more sustainable solution.

Kenya has not been left behind. As cities expand and more infrastructure projects are implemented, the debate now lies not on how fast we can build but rather on how green our construction processes are becoming.

As climate change becomes the new reality of emerging trends, the new policy environment in Kenya, starting with the National Climate Change Action Plan and the National Building Code 2024, is expected to assist in shifting the industry to the sphere of low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure development.

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is one of the main stakeholders that contributed to making this vision come true. Its projects are an example of a progressive attitude to sustainable construction.

The Talanta Stadium is one of the examples of CRBC projects that achieve the functional and environmental objectives.

The project was originally aimed at energy efficiency, adaptation to the climate and preservation of resources.

The transition towards the green agenda in Kenya will never work unless all the stakeholders, such as policymakers and contractors, financiers, and citizens, state sustainability as a collective endeavour.

The government should speed up the implementation of the incentives for green building, and the developers should make sustainable practices an inseparable part of the development rather than a secondary consideration.

Financial institutions should create access to affordable green financing to incentivise responsible builders.

But challenges still abound. Fragmented standards, ineffective regulations, and poor financing of green practices have delayed the transition to sustainable practices.

Several local governments currently do not have expedited approval systems or financial incentives for sustainable designs. Premium materials and energy-efficient systems are also expensive, and in most cases, they increase project budgets by 20-40 percent.

To surmount these challenges, CRBC has been long-term oriented with local empowerment.

Subcontracting 30 to 40 percent of construction work to Kenyan companies was done in the case of the Talanta stadium. These local teams were trained on low-carbon construction techniques, environmental drainage systems, and landscaping.

Outside the project location, CRBC is collaborating with Kenyan universities and other technical institutions to provide them with courses in green building, environmental management, and nature-based design.

These partnerships are contributing towards breeding a generation of localized engineers and constructors who are green economy-ready.

The writer is a Commentator on Construction Sector issues