Project:- Southern Sunshine Hotel Project.
1. General description of the building:
a) How many floors?
5 levels i.e Ground floor, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor.
b) The number of rooms per floor? Any measurements?
There are 11 rooms per floor. Each room measures 5.2m long by 3m wide.
c) Any special designed rooms? Conference halls
There is a 50 seater conference facility on the ground floor. There is an open terrace at the Ground floor level.
d) Car parking space – underground or pen – capacity?
The front part along the Southern Bypass has off street parking for 15 cars which can also extend along the bypass towards Ondiri swamp/Kikuyu town.
The rear service road, accessible from the front part of the building, can park up to 25 cars. This parking space offers privacy since its view is blocked form the busy southern bypass highway.
e) Emergency arrangement – for water shortage? Underground tanks – capacity
The County water supply is reliable. 20,000 litre Underground tanks will be located in the rear side in case of water shortages. 20,000 litre Overhead tanks for general water storage will be placed at the roof level.
f) Power Supply – for electricity – generator (automatic) – capacity
Power supply will be from KPLC. A generator will be set up in case there is a black out. Use of energy saving techniques e.g. energy saving bulbs, solar water heaters and natural lighting and ventilation shall be put in place within the hotel.
g) Size of the stair case – incase of a stampede?
The stair well is 2.4 m wide, with the stair case being 1.2m wide. This is wide enough to ensure no stampede in case of an emergency. Each room also has a balcony that directly accesses the outside. This acts as a recreational area for the occupant and also as an escape route in case of an emergency e.g. fire.
2. Project History:
- What were general concepts and origination aspects that inspired the architect and the design of the building?
The hotel is inspired from the great Ondiri swamp nearby. The front façade has the swamp pictogram as the main feature of the design.
The front façade is also inspired by the letters Southern Sunsihe, SS, which can be visible from the front view.
- Were these aspirations fulfilled? YES
Yes. The SS can be clearly visible from the front. The swamp motif/pictogram is also visible in the railings and parts of the interior décor.
- To what extent is the structure a market leader in design – quality, output, architecture?
The structure takes up very little ground level foot print. This saves the area for more plants to grow. The Ngong forest, nearby, is a major water catchment for Kenya. With use of a smaller ground level footprint, more ground vegetation is left to enable bio diversity and a more stable ecosystem. Each balcony has also been fitted with potted plants to compensate for the ground level footprint covered with the building.
- Any issues of the state of art technology?
Access control will have doors that have an IP address so as to record entry/exit. Use of CCTV surveillance and pad foundation technology are a few high technologies used.
- Who generated the plan?
The plan was generated by a4architect.com .
- What role did the client’s corporate identify/vision play in this plan?
The SS symbol, visible from the front view, is the corporate identity for the hotel owner.
3. Schedule:
- Time – Was the project completed in time? How long did it take to complete?
The bypass is scheduled to be open for public use in July 2015. The hotel project is scheduled to be complete at the same time.
- Was the client satisfied regarding the time – were they on your neck?
The client is satisfied with the timing since when the bypass is open, is when the hotel will begin operations with impressive occupancy rates.
4. Budget:
What is the total cost?
The hotel is estimated to cost kes 60 million.
Was spending satisfactory? Was it appropriate for that kind of project?
The budget is appropriate for a boutique hotel. For high level star hotels, the budget is usually higher.
5. Feature?
The kind of materials used here? Local or imported?
As much as possible, locally available materials are envisaged to be used. Building stone will come from Thika, cement from Athi river, steel from Athi river etc.
6. Lifespan:
Estimated life of the building? Is there possibility of it going further?
The building is estimated to last at least 100 years.
Any special security features: Safeguards against natural disaster? In case of fire?
Any measure?
Fire escape routes, fire extinguishers, water reservoirs and fire balloons will be fitted to thwart fire threats. Luminous direction signs will be put up in the corridors showing the exit route in case of a blackout due to fire.
The balcony is designed to serve as an escape route in case of fire emergencies.
7. Interior details:
Cleanliness – scenic look – beautification? Materials used/features, colours, room sizes, floors.
The floor surfaces will be finished with off white glazed granite tiles, carefully designed and arranged to pattern. The walls will be plastered and painted off white to achieve the clean look.
Art works showing the nearby Ondiri swamp and other geographic features found in Kenya will be put up in all rooms.
8. Exterior details:
Coating the finish, paints, trees landscaping and the surrounding scene/other creativity. Were there any hindrances to these? e.g. lack of adequate space.
Palm trees will be planted at the front of the hotel and at the island created in the middle of the southern bypass highway. These symbolize recreation and enjoyment.
Planters will be placed on all balconies. These will contain an assortment of all types of plants that do well in the region, which is cold.
Red, white and dark grey are the main colours at the hotel. These symbolize warmth and high energy, which the hotel radiates to its visitors.
9. Challenges:
Was the cost within the budget?
The cost estimate will be within budget.
10. Project Teams:
Architect. Francis Gichuhi Kamau.
Structural Engineer. Augustine Kalatta
Quantity Surveyor. John Kihara.
11. Any other issues/general comments:
The hotel is being sold to the public on a room by room basis as an investment. Rent accrued by occupants is distributed to the room owners every end month. The room owners get to own a share in the limited liability company that owns the hotel and are decision makers through the AGM meetings.
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