Month: February 2016

Kigali Batsinda estate comprises of 300 housing units in Kigali Rwanda. We are documenting how Joint Venture projects for huge construction projects are conceived from simple ideas to huge concrete jungles that serve to house people.

This is part 2 of the documentation.

Part 1.

See Part 1 here https://www.a4architect.com/2016/02/kigali-batsinda-estate-the-making-of-a-joint-venture-project-in-rwanda/

February 12, 2016. Here we look at an email from Shelter Afrique bank announcing The Pan African Housing Fund (PAHF), managed by Phatisa, has entered into an agreement with Kigali Batsinda Estate Limited to develop a new residential housing complex in Kagugu Cell, Kinyinya Sector, Gasabo District, Kigali City, Rwanda.

http://www.shelterafrique.org/index.php/pan-african-housing-fund-ends-year-with-first-close-at-us-41-5-million/

Feasibility study, design increase form 20 to 30 units to 140 units.

After commencing on the business plan advisory from the earlier 20 to 30 units suggested by Philippe Kubwimana in the initial 1st email, i utilised google maps to check out the site and saw that there is need for a much higher density than initialy thought out, with a minimum of 140 units. The land area was initially much smaller, hence the need for Phillippe to expropriate more land neighbouring, to push the density further to the current 300 units.

16th July 2011. Feasibility study.

We have now started discussing and analysing surrounding residential projects. Philippe emailed me this interesting article from New Times newspaper of Kigali, where Rwanda National Social Security Fund plans to put up 140 units in the same area of Batsinda.


29th July 2011. Fusion Capital.

Mr Muriithi of Shelter Afrique bank informs us he has a financier for the project .

A4architect composed the intitial Kigali Batsinda funding proposal and emails Mr Muriithi of Shelter Afrique.

A4architect.com briefly engages with Maureen of Shelter Afrique on behalf of Murithi.

1st August 2011.Land owner Details.

Mr Murithi asks for more land details of which Philippe replies as below,that the land is in the name of Kubwimana Chrysologue.

15th September 2011. Consultancy contracts.

a4architect.com moves ahead to formalise the contract between Philippe Kubwimana for design and financial advisory services.

20th September 2011. Signed contracts.

After Philippe Kubwimana asks his lawyers to go through the consultancy agreements, he finally signs the contracts, witnessed by Kubwimana Chrysologue.

In the agreement, Prism Designs Africa, owned by a4architect.com and FRancis Gichuhi kamau, was to offer services at an agreed rate of 11% of the construction contract, including the rest of the supporting consultants.
Philippe Kubwimana’s lawyer, Ben Ntaganira, made a few adjustments which we agreed upon then we executed the contract.

 

 

The Birth of KIGALI BATSINDA ESTATE name.

In the course of discussion, Philippe Kubwimana was advised to register a Limited Liability company which will own the land as we progress towards the bigger goal of construction.

Higher density design.22nd September 2011.

From the intitial 20 to 30 units, to 140 units, a4architect.com designed the Kigali Batsinda Estate to approximately 300 units that are currently proposed.

As a4architect.com continued to improve the design from 20 to 30 units, to 140 units to finally 300units, a site visit was now imminent to ascertain the feasibility of the actual site holding the high density unit.

This will be covered in Part 3 of the documentation.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.
info@a4architect.com

Kigali Batsinda Estate lies 6 km from the heart of Kigali Central Business District. It comprises of  high rise apartments, 300 units in number. Below is an outline of how such huge projects get conceived from an idea into actualization. It takes years and a lot of hard work and thought processes in the background before construction commences. Just like the Chinese bamboo shoot grows, the seedling takes 4 years to germinate from the ground then takes a few months to grow into a huge monster of over 30 meters long.

1. Initial discussion.

Concept beginning.

The land owner emailed a4architect.com on 24th March 2011.

 

In the email, Philippe asks a4architect.com to assist in design and financial planning for his 4 hectare land in Kigali based on the Greenville Estate project designed by a4architect.com. Coincidentally, Greenville estate was a Joint Venture project conceived, designed and implemented by a4architect.com in Syokimau, Nairobi. In Greenville estate, a4architect.com conceived the idea concept and sold the idea to Munyua Kariuki Advocate, Deus Properties and Businessman Edward Magero. The rest of the financing was sought from Housing Finance Bank and construction began and the units sold off.

a4architect.com replied and assured that they can provide design services and refereed the land owner to Shelter Afrique Bank, introducing to him the concept of Joint Venture financing as opposed to the usual bank loan.

A4architect.com then went ahead to introduce Shelter Afrique Bank, represented by Samson Murithi in Nairobi and Oumar Diop in Kigali.

As expected, most land owners when introduced to the Joint Venture concept naturally want to know more about it.A4architect.com encouraged the land owner to talk to Shelter Afrique Kigali representative, Mr Oumar Diop so that he can understand much more and gain confidence in order to proceed.

At that time, Shelter Afrique bank had just started the new concept of Joint Venture and were apprehensive of Rwanda market and initially wanted to watch the Kenyan market evolve first.

Many years later, to currently, in 2016, Shelter Afrique bank later on learnt and got the confidence to delve in Joint Ventures outside Kenya and finally financed the project.
We will continue on more details on how Joint Ventures get financed and how Mega projects come into being from the inception in the next article.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

1/4 acre in Syokimau.

2.5 acres in Ruai along Eastern Bypass next to Kenyatta farm.

10 acres Red Hill area.

60 acres Kitengela near Cement factory.

2.5 acre plot along Southern Bypass available for joint venture.

1/4 acre prime land for lease and/or joint venture in Nakuru cbd.

1/8th acre for lease at Tuala, Rongai, with stone perimeter wall.

1/8th acre at Dagoretti market for Joint Venture.

1 acre next to University of Nairobi Kikuyu campus for Joint Venture.

10 acres next to Greenspan estate, Eastlands at kes 40m per acre.

1/8th acre along Southern Bypass opposite Alliance girls school touching tarmac. Suitable for Joint venture options.

8 acres next to state house road Nairobi available for JV financing.

Langata. Dam Estate. 1/8th acre. KES 16million. Google maps coordinates -1.320658, 36.799539

Waiyaki way hotel boulevard kes 3b

Westlands Kipande rd. near Goan sports club st anne nursery, touching tarmac 1/4acre kes 140m ,also open for joint venture.

Kileleshwa Githunguri road. 1 acre. 400m

0.5 acres Rimpa, Rongai. Kes 40m.

Nyeri. Lusoi. 5 acres @ kes 1.6m per acre.
Nyahururu town. Building with 8 rooms fronting tarmac in Nyahururu town. See google maps cordinates for the location below
0.016017, 36.365313
Asking price kes 5m.

5 acres Karen for sale. Near Hardy shopping centre @kes 60m per acre.

Kiserian . Kiserian pipeline isinya road. 20 acres. kes 3.5m per acre. 3 Km from tarmac.

1/4 acre land for sale or lease at Diani, 2nd row from beach road.

Karen. Westwood park road. Near Military barracks. 1 acre. kes 80m.
See map location below
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=-1.323011,36.695735&num=1&t=h&z=18

1/8th plots at Sabaki behind Mlolongo town. Price guide kes 1.8m.

1/8th acre plot for sale, Kahawa Wendani.

Price guide kes 12.85m.

1/8th acre plot for sale at Kitengela, opposite Yukos. See Map below.
Price guide kes 7m.

1/10th acre plot for sale off Outer ring road along Manyanja road for sale.

Price guide.kes 8.5m.
Joint venture options also considered.

Nakuru town opposite State House along Oginga street.

Waiyaki way opposite Sigona Golf club, touching tarmac. 0.5 acres available for Joint venture.

Juba, South Sudan, opposite USA Embassy and UN Offices, 1 acre available for Joint venture project.

Ruaka town. 1/4acre fronting tarmac available for Joint Venture.

Isinya town, fronting tarmac. 2 acres available for joint venture or lease.

 

Ridgeways area is located along Kiambu road just after Muthaiga before Thimbigua area.

Its flanked to the left by Runda and to the right by Garden Estate.

Ridgeways is approximately 8 km from Nairobi CBD till Nakumatt Ridgeways.

The main shopping area is Ridgeways Mall, which houses Nakumatt supermarket and Scotchies bar among other businesses.

The residents enjoy easy access to the following:

Schools:

• The German school
• Rosslyn Academy
• Potterhouse School
• Cheleta Primary School
• Montessori Plus Kindergarten

Hospitals:

• Nairobi Hospital Branch
• Aga Khan Hospital
• Gertrudes Children’s Hospital

Hotels & Retaurants:

• The Lord Errol
• Runda Artcaffe
• The Tribe

Shopping malls :

• The Village Market,
• Nakumatt Ridgeways

 

Residential land.

The minimum plot size around Ridgeways is 0.5 acres, similar to areas such as Muthaiga and Karen.

Most residential houses are architecturally designed within the high class costing bracket, with most being on 2 levels, ground and 1st floor, maisonette types, with an average size of 500m2 in plinth built up area.

 

Major Housing estates.

 

On one end, there is Windsor Park, with 4 bedroomed maisonette houses sitting on a 0.25 acre plot. These sell at kes 60 million per house.

4 Ways Junction.

On the other end, there is 4 ways Junction, a Suraya properties project.

This comprises of 4 bedroomed maisonettes and apartment blocks for sale.

The maisonettes are around 150 to  200m2 in plinth area, selling for kes 26 million each, sitting on a 1/8th acre plot.

 

Houses for sale.

There is also a small housing estate of less than 10 units located within Thimbigua near 4 Ways junctions properties. See the map here.

https://goo.gl/maps/7MdWSkDY5Ku

These are on sale and interested buyers can contact info@a4architect.com to buy or rent.

Opposite Nakumatt Ridgeways mall, there is a msssive maisonette hosing coming up nearing completion.

Almasi Villas.

Deep in the heart of Ridgeways, we have Almasi Villas, a housing estate comprising of maisonettes for sale.

These are approximately 350m2 in plinth area, occupying a 1/3 acre sized plot.

These sell at approximately kes 40 million.

Vacant land for sale.

Most available lands are in small portions of 0.5 acre size. Larger lands are also available.

a4architect.com have a 60 acre vacant plot for sale within the heart of Ridgeways. Potential buyers are free to contact a4architect.com through email info@a4architect.com or phone call 0721410684.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

info@a4architect.com

High rise buildings mainly use reflective glass that is laminated. This glass is designed to be strong enough to resist heavy wind loads usually associated with high rise buildings. The detailed design should also be such a way that it can keep off rain ingress during rainy seasons.

The reflecting ability of the glass enables heat to be reflected back towards the outside, hence maintaining the interior temperatures to be cool.

Natural light.

The need for natural light in offices is very high. This saves on using electricity and improves on the internal ambiance. Glass facade walls enable maximum use of the side elevations to bring in the maximum possible sunlight during the day in the most efficient manner, keeping away elements of weather.

Aluminium framing.

The glass is usually supported on aluminium framing.

 

Argon gas.

Laminated glass is made of 2 sheets of glass with an argon sandwich infill .

These are made to order and fitted on site. Argon gas helps to cut off heat transfer from the sun into the building.

Some windows are triple glazed to increase heat insulation levels. Argon is a very stable gas, with more insulating capacity than air at 67% better performance.

 

Lifespan.

Laminated glass is designed to last an average of 20 years in facades that do not face direct sunlight and 10 years in facades facing direct sunlight.

Staining.

Over time, a usual defect is when moisture enters into the air space in between the glass panels. This stains the glass and enables argon to escape, hence the glass not performing its heat preventing duties as expected. The solution is to change the glass facade, which is costly. A few companies have come up to repair failed glass facades in Europe.

Cracking.

Differences in temperatures on the same glass surface can result in differential tension which ends up in cracks. This mostly occurs when one part of the glass is shaded while another is experiencing direct sunlight.

 

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.

info@a4architect.com

 

 

 

Plot size.

Most Nairobi plots are sized between 0.5 acres and 4 acres. Very few plots are less than 0.5 acres in size. These small sizes are mainly found in the Central Business District area. A few land owners have large sized lands eg Kenya Railways has 40 acres in Ngara and Muthurwa area. There is also a 6 acre plot for sale or Joint Venture next to State House in Nairobi.

 

 

Land Development Cost .

 

Land Construction development costs depend on the plinth area that will be built up. Nairobi is a high income area so most buildings usually budget to use high quality construction materials which are relatively more expensive.

 

 

Mixed Use Developments.

 

Its possible for developers to mix both offices and residential areas, mostly fully furnished apartments for the residential part. This is common in Upper Hill area of Nairobi CBD.

Plan passing cost.

 

On average, plan approval costs are in the range of 0.5% of the estimated construction cost.

 

Time and duration for the plan to be passed.

Planning permissions are obtained from the Nairobi County Government planning department located at City Hall, Nairobi.

Plan approvals are done electronically through a web portal where the architects submit the drawings for approval by the relevant departments. This process takes an average of 1.5 months.

 

Government Charges (development, Scrutiny fees, deposits, occupancy charges etc.,

There are also other approval fees associated with National Environment Management Agency at 0.1% of the estimated construction cost. If the land is zoned differently from the intended use, then there are costs associated with change of user to the new intended use.

 

Sale of Property.

The building, once developed, can be sold in portions , through sectional properties act, or can be sold as a whole, through the land registration act or sold as a limited liability company depending on the number and % of shares .

 

Availability of water .

Nairobi City water comes from Ndakaini Dam within Muranga county. Nairobi and its environments have a low water table so water is available abundantly from private bore holes, water vendors and Nairobi City Government water department.

 

The cost of water around Nairobi is low. Water is stored in roof top tanks and underground tanks. Roof top tanks are mainly made of plastic while underground tanks are made from concrete walls.

 

 

Power Consumption.

Nairobi has a very efficient electricity power supply. Its very rare for blackouts to affect the CBD. Most buildings have invested in diesel powered power generators in case there is a blackout.

Boundary wall cost.

In most Nairobi buildings, boundary walls are intricately designed and finished with relatively expensive materials.

Rules and regulations governing construction

Construction rules and regulations are domiciled within the Nairobi County Government Planning approval department by laws, National Construction Authority NCA and Board of Regulation of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya BORAQS.

Fees structure of the Architect.

Architects are remunerated as stipulated in the Chapter 525 of Kenya laws Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya act. This is at a % of the estimated construction cost.

Subsidies.

There are no subsidies given to developers.

If 5000 sq. meter land available what will be the permissible area for construction for office and residential.

Assuming a 5000m2 plot, the permissible ground coverage can range from 25% to 80% depending on the specific location as discussed with the planners.

• Number of Floors.

The number of floors that a developer can construct is restricted in some parts which are near flight paths eg around Gikomba area, around Langata Wilson airport area. In other parts, there are no restrictions as long as the design satisfies the planning authorities in terms of vehicular parking and waste water disposal.

 

• Government support.

The Nairobi County Government can provide off street parking facilities, water, fire fighting and garbage collection.

• Cost of lease.

Outright permission to sell is guaranteed. The developer can sell through sectional titles or through the land title. The developer can also opt to lease out the building. The lease rates for Nairobi CBD fall in between kes 100 to kes 180 per square foot for office buildings. This rate varies for ground floor shops.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau. B.Arch. U.o.N.

info@a4architect.com

Wooden poles on masonry columns. Columns finished with round shaped plaster.

Makuti thatched roof supported on wooden poles. It provides excellent insulation in tropical climates.

 

Mazeras stone floor slabs joint together using cement mortar.

 

Interior decor and furniture made of naturally shaped wooden poles.

Internal ceiling made of hessian tent.

 

Foundation made of natural cobble stone and hardcore stone.

Utawala area is located 22km from the Nairobi CBD.

It has close proximity to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, hence most surrounding buildings are ground and 2 floors up, restricting vertical construction to give way for flight paths. This is the same situation in South C around Wilson airport. Notable buildings are Fahari hotel and Kinka hardware.

Plot sizes.

The land here is mostly subdivided into 30 by 60 ft plot sizes and is held through certificates as op-posed to title deed.
The Nairobi County Government planning department can approve construction based on the certificate and scheme master plan survey, unlike earlier times when approval processes were only for lands with title deeds.

Number of units.
The 30 by 60 ft plot can contain 3 number of 2 bedroomed units per floor for a maximum of 3 levels vertically.
The total number of units will therefore be 9.
Assuming a modest rent per unit at kes 15,000, this development can bring in an income of kes 135,000 per month when fully developed.
This represents a return of investment of 6.9 years, which is very impressive.

Land cost.
Land in Utawala varies in cost depending on the type of ownership. Land with title deed costs far much more than lands without title deeds, held on certificates. This is because title deeds are a safer method of owning land and can easily attract loans when used as bank collateral.

Architect Fancis Gichuhi Kamau.
info@a4architect.com