This man Benson Wairegi – the brains behind Africa’s Best Skyscraper

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Upper Hill’s skyscraper dotted neighbourhood has cemented its place among the world’s most notable architecture pieces after Britam Tower received the Emporis Skyscraper Award. This is a first for a building in Africa in the decade-old awards. From his expansive office at the old Britam House at the junction of Mara/Ragati roads in Upper Hill, Benson Wairegi has an unobstructed view of the massive Britam Tower, one of Africa’s tallest buildings.

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The 31-floor building is not only a source of pride to the Britam family but the country as well. The judges were impressed by the tower’s sustainable design that takes into account water and energy efficiency. They were also taken in by the tower’s prismatic design where the four corners narrow towards the top, making it a landmark structure in the Nairobi’s skyline.

Entrance to the Britam Towers along Hospital Road in Upper-Hill, Nairobi

Dr Wairegi, Britam’s group managing director, when asked what the honor meant for him and the company, he drew attention away from himself, praising the team of experts that made the tower rise to the top. While Britam Tower was constructed between 2013 and 2017, Dr Wairegi revealed that the foundation for it had been laid more than 30 years ago. To understand the roadmap that led to the epic construction, one needs to get inside the mind of Wairegi. Behind the self-effacing honcho is a man of steel who is never afraid of diving into uncharted waters.

One day in 1986, Wairegi brought the board chairman of the then British-American Investments Company, Britam’s forerunner, to Upper Hill. The mission? To show him a piece of land where the company, then domiciled in downtown Nairobi, would relocate. The chairman, Wairegi said, was perplexed. There were no corporate firms in Upper Hill.

His persuasion prevailed. But more hurdles lay in the way. The company could not afford the Sh65 million needed to complete the proposed 12-floor building. That was a colossal amount of money back then and a decision was made to build the office block in stages. So dire was the situation that they could not even afford to erect a perimeter wall. When the office was completed, no tenants were available to take up space. Relief came when the Export Processing Zone agreed to pay rent at the rate of Sh10 per square foot and Sh2 per square foot for service charge.

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GAPP Architects & Urban Designers and Triad Architects won the bids to design the Sh7 billion tower with African features. Among the green features incorporated in the building include a water recycling system, LED lighting and a spacious atrium that allows more natural light into the building. The building is said to save 39 per cent on energy and 50 per cent on water in comparison to a typical office building. Britam Tower is also the first office building in the country to receive the final International Finance Corporation’s EDGE green building certification.

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“What we have done is to encourage other developers to embrace sustainable practices. While our team of experts went around the world looking for the best practices, we used a local contractor, showing that we don’t need an international company to achieve the best outcomes in the construction sector,” he said. While the tower is a first among equals on the continent, Wairegi’s current concern is how to fill it with tenants. The Grade ‘A’ office building may be up to 50 per cent occupied, yet Wairegi is not looking for just anyone with some cash to become a tenant.

What next for the Britam boss after the tower?  “In the 1990s, I wanted to make British American a number one company in the region. Britam, the rebranded company, is now in seven African countries. I am still climbing the mountain while tagging new talent up the mountain,” he said. “The tower will ensure that Britam legacy lives on and that the company does not join the “corporate graveyards” strewn all over the country.”

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