While the national building code in 2024 recognizes the emergence of new, sustainable construction methods, some actors in the industry are concerned that it does not promote the promotion of their adoption.
The debate about green buildings requires the new code that replaced the 1968 version, which found the industry at the age of the improved technology and construction methods as unsuitable.
New companies are trying to take over Legacy construction companies that have dominated the sector and may not be inclined to change. This discourse is committed to environmentally friendly buildings and maintains designs that prefer aspects such as water recycling and solar energy.
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Certifications such as Edge (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficencies), which is awarded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), aim to promote the introduction of these new building materials and technologies.
The idea is to reduce the amount of water used and the energy and to reuse as far as possible to reduce the CO2 footprint of the sector.
However, the introduction of new construction technologies in the country is still a challenge, although the industry is still being adhered to in terms of old despite the appearance of building methods.
Why is this also the case with the new building code? Kennedy Munyendo, regional director of ICF East Africa, says that the code contains the introduction of these technologies, but it's different.
He says the system prefers masonry, especially government institutions.
“There is a separation between the guideline and the implementation,” explains Munyendo.
“We would want that [code] rolls onto government agencies. You have to understand that this is part of the building code that should be accepted. Some people do not understand that some of these technologies are already in our construction code. ”
Mr. Munyendo's company deals with the production of isolated concrete foam blocks that are easier and can make it easier to build a bungalow in 21 days.
The company also produces reinforcement rods with glass fiber, which reduces the cost of steel rods by 20 to 30 percent. Apart from such, other construction or construction technologies available on the market are compressed earth blocks; Febauf – A construction method in which prefabricated concrete slabs or blocks are used for the wall or floors, as is known for beam and block building technology; Green roofs or walls to improve insulation and LED lights for energy efficiency.
In the Planetech World 2024, an annual climate conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, the challenge of introducing new construction technologies was highly presented. Experts prefer a carbon tax return to tend to the scale.
“In many masonry blocks, cement must be assumed as a building material. We have to change the regulations, ”Adital Ela, founder and managing director of Cricatra Innovations, a company that creates environmentally friendly building materials.
“New materials must be certified by regulations, but they [regulations] Vary very much in various markets. This is a conservative market. ”
According to Steve Ross, the ICF managing director and founder of ICF, one way to get entry into the market is to work in social and affordable living space. This is done by dealing directly with the customer or the financier who have the same customer in the heart.
“We are an impact company. I think it starts with the customer. Ultimately, the customer is the homeowner, ”he says.
“We have supplier and government partnerships, and they are all important, but if they do not satisfy the customer, they will not come back.”
He says that you can build your trust with customers first before scaling and later introducing other technologies.
While he realizes that Kenya is lucky enough to not have the kind of weather disasters that endure America, he claims that the technology still offers worth.
“I think the discourse on sustainability will accelerate its introduction. It has a great promise of value in terms of speed, we can build a bungalow in 21 days. You have to be able to build many houses quickly, and this technology offers this, ”adds Ross.
The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) notes that the status of the built environment in 2024 is reported, as the lack of a current construction code contributes significantly to inferior construction practices that arise nationwide on safety, efficiency and sustainability risks.
AAK says that the code recognizes sustainable strategies for construction design in section 161, but these strategies remain corresponding to the building's discretion.
The clause says that an owner who designs a building can correspond to the sustainable design strategies that come from independent Green Building certification organizations.
“The code should expressly recognize the significant effects of buildings on the climate and include local green -construction standards in order to lead the sustainability efforts,” the report said.
It also adds that the rapidly developing landscape of construction technology and sustainability practices requires continuous updates for the national construction code.