Robert Mugabe Avenue, Windhoek, Namibia

The upgrading and refurbishment of Kenya House, which was originally designed and constructed in the 60’s as The Grand Hotel, was necessitated in line with the revised program for a mixed-use building and the need to strongly reinforce the image of the Kenyan Mission in Namibia.

As part of the intervention, a new structure set to house the Chancery was erected adjacent to and is complimentarily and seamlessly integrated the larger commercial building, due to its unassuming form and size.

A modern aesthetic appeal was required to complement and take advantage of the building’s prime positioning within Windhoek’s CBD, yet maintaining the character of the building. As such, the aesthetic intervention was undertaken with a functional approach and great opportunity was had in accentuating the horizontal elements that define the character of the existing building.

This is realized in part through the addition of a new low-pitched roof over the old roof terrace, the widening of the openings on the building’s facades and in the contrast of the colors that highlight the building’s lines.

The new roof, having dual functionality, allows for the conversion of the old roof garden to additional office space and also acts to strengthen the relationship of the top floor to the rest of the building.

In line with the new program, there was a need to rethink the internal space utilization of the commercial building. As such, the cubicle style spaces where reordered to allow for more flexible space utilization.

The aim of the project was to harmonize the need for a contemporary aesthetic with functional utilization of space.