Kamangu is located off Southern Bypass towards Gikambura past Kilimo Grand hotel.
The house is designed using balance and symmetry so as to achieve the aesthetics required. Symmetrical buildings tend to look better due to the less ‘hustle’ that the brain takes to decode and understand the shape.
The living room corner windows are supported by a single column to create a ‘light’ effect, whereby the whole corner area doesn’t look heavy from the stone wall support. The column is painted a dark colour close to the window tint colour so as to reduce the contrast and look like one element.
Use of Kiserian yellow stone as one line from ground to 1st floor while contrasting with Ruiru blue stone at the corners and in the middle provides a very cost effective method of achieving a great look without breaking the bank.
Use of Juja light greyish stone on the windows area also provides a cost effective method of achieving this great look .
Windows and Doors.
Windows have the grills fixed on the inside, with the glass part on the outside facade, giving a simple less -is-more look from the outside, increasing the aesthetic appeal greatly. This matches well with the simple fashion type of the whole building from the outside. The windows are wide and extend to like 1 foot away from the floor level, giving alot of ambiance and light to the internal spaces. With well fitted steel grills, preferably the tube type which are impossible to cut using metal scissors, the security is guaranteed while the sleek look is still maintained.
The main door is double – leafed, with glass infill, making it work as both a door passage way and a window that can bring in light from outside.
The dark thick ring beam cuts across the mid section of the building horizontally, making the building look much better.
The Stanley Hotel in Nairobi also has a similar dark thick ring beam separating the ground floor from the 1st floor level.
Roof.
The pitch is not very steep, around 22.5 degrees slope, made of steel iron sheets. The se can be the stone coated type for more insulation and longevity or the prepainted box profile type which cost less.
Architect Francis Gichuhi kamau.
info@a4architect.com
0721410684
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