Kawe Mixed is a building concept for the commercial strip along Mwai Kibaki Road. It combines a two-story commercial base with a five-story residential building and connects with an open terrace to the big bike and pedestrian bridge, creating an elevated promenade all along the commercial strip.
Merging residential and different commercial functions into this mixed typology allows for cross subsidization and thereby the integration of more services like a spacious elevator, laundry and bike facilities as well as balconies and a roof terrace while keeping the housing prices at an affordable level. Furthermore, as an attempt to allow for more flexible and accessible housing options, all units are only offered for rent and should be managed by a not-for-profit organization like the National Housing Corporation.
To also allow for a mixed group of residents, there are three different unit types to serve a variety of requirements. Personal units for singles or couples as studio or one-room apartments, family units for bigger households or groups of friends with several bedrooms, and a collective unit for up to ten people with individual rooms that share a large open living space with a kitchen and dining area. In the continued spirit of mixing, all units are designed to have minimal individual spaces in favor of larger shared living spaces.
In an attempt to create a comfortable indoor climate without active cooling, several measures have been taken to achieve a climate-conscious design: The separation into two towers with open circulation, ventilation openings, and a detached roof allow for maximized airflow around and through the units. Deep larger windows towards North and South enable cross ventilation and overhanging balconies, and roofs and the continuous shading screens towards East and West protect from the sun.
The construction is geared to be simple and fast in the making while being sustainable and affordable in its materiality. The main structure is a reinforced concrete skeleton combined with compressed earth brick (CEB) infill walls. The earth can be sourced right at or near the construction site and will be protected by a lime-based plaster. This maintains the hygroscopic properties of the wall and still extends the maintenance cycles. In external walls more exposed to the elements, the outer layer of bricks can be stabilized with up to 10% of cement.
The simple construction system is perpetuated in the roof, a wooden rafter and batten structure holding a simple trapezoidal steel sheet. The wooden structure rests on three, respectively two larger reinforced concrete beams on the pillars. This elevates the roof enough to allow the top slab to be used as a roof terrace while keeping it fully protected from sun and rain.
In order to adhere to the steep sun path, most windows are placed on the North and South façade. These windows are larger but still equipped with a deep wooden frame and fixed solar protection, minimizing the direct radiation heating up the inside. Where necessary, windows have also been placed on the East and West façades. However, these are positioned higher, kept smaller, and are equipped with an additional shutter screen to even block the horizontal sun rays.
