African Design Magazine ADM #35 November 2017 | Page 25

Rwanda
The Nobelia Office Tower in Kigali, Rwanda, will be
located within close proximity to commercial, residential,
recreational and retail zones and will be constructed on
previously developed land to prevent urban sprawl. This
building will be a 19-storey tower, in which 16 floors will
be office occupation.
The project aims to be a leading green building within
Rwanda and the wider Central East African region, with
sustainable features such as:
Ÿ HVAC: Fresh air dehumidified and provided to Air
Handling Units through hollow core slabs.
Ÿ Electrical: A 430 panel PV installation generating 198
804kWh/year, Usable Areas have 100% LED fi ings.
Ÿ Wet Services: On-site water treatment system resulting
in 90% total reduction of water discharge, treating grey
and black water.
Ÿ Façade: 100% designed for disassembling, mesh
structure to allow plant growth and provide shading.
The Nobelia Office Tower has achieved the very first Green
Star rating in Rwanda.  
Kenya
Garden City Village phase 1 is part of the Garden City Masterplan based in Nairobi,
Kenya. This design enables residential, retail and office (mixed use) development,
offering over 400 apartments, duplexes and family villas, an international shopping
mall, 60 000 m² of office space, a modern business hotel and state of the art medical
centre.
At its heart, Garden City hosts a three-acre central park, with a children's play area
and generous lawns and gardens.
This project is a symbol of commitment by the developer, ACTIS, to sustainable
investment in Kenya and by extension Africa. It holds significant importance to the
future of green buildings in Kenya, thus it is also the pilot project for the South Africa
Green Star- Kenya rating system.
Some of the remarkable features of this building design are the initiative that was
taken with the intent to reduce maximum electrical demand. A solar hot water system
was installed that has its hot water storage vessels insulated along with non-electrical
cooking hobs and ovens. Portable water has also been reduced by 28% through
rainwater harvesting and filtration and the installation of efficient water saving
fi ings.
Garden City Village seeks to be the first project within Sub-Sahara Africa rated a 4 Star
Green Star under the Green Star multi-unit residential V1 tool.  
africandesignmagazine.com 25