Strip Mall
Location and site specification: 45mX10m in Laare Town Meru County, Kenya.
Clients Brief: Lettable Space and Adaptive space for an anchor tenant taking multiple floors
Form and Space Development: The concept was almost solely guided by utilitarian principles as the goal was to maximize profitability of all developed areas. This meant reducing the circulation yet making it efficient, increasing the lettable area, and reducing on the construction costs yet making it sturdy by employing alternative cost cutting measures like precast floor waffles.
The choice of materials though majorly are guided by the use, the monolithic outcome gave a beautiful industrial, mini go-down architecture that gives away the use of the development as commercial.
The whole structure is framed using reinforced concrete, the walls are interlocking bricks and clad with box profile iron sheets. The interlocking blocks not only save on labor, time and plastering the interior they insulate against sound and heat while the box profile iron sheets save on plaster and paint.
There are two ways the circulation is approached, with the principle circulation – both horizontal and vertical- being public to other tenants and users while a secondary circulation both horizontal and vertical incorporated and chargeable to the tenants, as the anchor tenant wanted to lease several floors with independent semi-permanent stairs through cavities in floors that can be sealed if the floors are sealed independently.