Well, at Planning Systems Services, our story began 45 years ago in the unlikeliest of places. The scene is set in Nairobi’s Industrial Area in 1st May 1978 as founding date, where the practice’s first offices were set up above a used car garage with a mission to continue to impact architecture and building technology in the region and beyond
Drawing inspiration from prairie houses and cozy cottages, and within two years of its founding, PLANNING’s first large success was the winning competition design and delivery of the highly acclaimed Lake View Estate, set amidst the trees of Spring Valley. PLANNING’s own studio would eventually also be situated at the edge of Lake View to continue its mission.
With this pace set in motion, PLANNING pressed on with a high-rise commission for the East African Building society, this being the first of many. Fedha Towers was aninstant seller because of its unique shape and outstanding features such as the moninga wood door, a homage to our African heritage.
In its third generation of leadership today, there is inspired determination and work going into expanding our national and regional impact via our offices in Nairobi and Mombasa; that we may, with more efficiency, pour our energy into the collaborative influence architecture, urban design and land use planning has.
As the world opens to the digital era, we too join the movement by gladly implementing digital production tools that help further our goals of efficient architecture, construction, project management, and urban design. When it all adds up, it is not just about the building but the space as well. We highly consider the interactions people have with their environments.
To PLANNING, it is of utmost importance that both interior and exterior spaces have a positive impact on the people and environment at large. This has been showcased and implemented in our most recent project – the Trade and Development Bank headquarters on Lenana Road Nairobi, that is centered around 3 sky gardens and airflow, simultaneously being an example of innovation and sustainability.
On our horizon, our efforts are emphatically focused on designing for a changing world. Building towards resilience, climate change and a consideration for all socio- economic groups. We believe there is no need for slums and all people have a right to dignified homes; and with our low-income projects such as the ongoing Pangani Housing project, we look to set this trend in motion in conjunction with wider urban transformation projects such as the regeneration of Nairobi Rivers that work towards the harnessing of landscape and cityscape to provide mixed use opportunities and foster the development of mixed income communities.
Ultimately our aspiration is not just the definition of skylines but the betterment of livelihood, as in creation of harmonious spaces that will better our human interaction with the environment.