PLANNING was commissioned to liaise with and take over from the international award-winning architect, the late Henning Larsen, who was appointed by Industrial Promotion Services to produce the building’s Concept and its Outline Design.

The Client’s brief to Henning Larsen was for a building that would establish the visual and commercial presence of the Nation Media Group within the Central Business District of Nairobi.

The major challenges for Henning Larsen were the fast-advancing technologies of the printing and graphics industries and the need (or otherwise) to accommodate these within this City Centre Building or elsewhere. (They were to be accommodated later, in a building outside the City Centre) to proceed after the concept design stage had been completed by the late Henning Larsen and approved by the Client.

PLANNING’s tasks included those of rationalizing the structure to accommodate the design and working out how best to place the building’s services (which were both sophisticated and considerable) within the constraints of the twin cylindrical towers.

There were also problems to be resolved with the site, and with the Client’s requirements for adequate basement car parking. Construction of this building on its very constricted and busy City Centre site produced many challenges for the Consultants and for the Contractor. The building was, however, completed on budget and on time.