Tatu City sponsors Kenyan students for design training in London

Tatu City, in partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the U.S.-based architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm, hosted two University of Nairobi students for a two-week training course in London.

Naomi Wangare and Boniface Nyaila, from the university’s Real Estate and Construction Management department, were given rigorous work experience in the fields of architectural design, engineering and urban planning.

“Working in a world-renowned firm gave us global perspective and access to the best minds in our fields of study,” Wangare said.

Wangare and Nyaila were the winners of a design competition that focused on identity, retail concepts and public spaces, which form the blueprint of the central business district (CBD) in Tatu City.

“The entire group of students from University of Nairobi exhibited a high level of creativity through the submissions shared in the competition,” said Nick Langford, Kenya Country Head for Rendeavour, the owner and developer of Tatu City.

In London, Naiomi and Boniface worked closely with Daniel Ringelstein, Director of Urban Design and Planning at SOM.

“Having Naiomi and Bonaface work alongside SOM on its master plan of the Tatu City CBD has been a tremendous reciprocal opportunity,” Ringelstein said. “While we may have been able to expose them to an international city design practice and mixed-use developments in London, SOM, too, gained significant knowledge of the unique culture and urban stories influencing city environments in Nairobi today.”

About SOM (www.som.com)

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, with an 80-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honoured with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honour, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.

About Tatu City (www.tatucity.com)

Tatu City is a 5,000-acre, mixed-use development with homes, schools, offices, a shopping district, medical clinics, nature areas, a sport & entertainment complex and manufacturing area for more than 150,000 residents and tens of thousands of day visitors. Schools and businesses are already open at Tatu City, and a range of houses are under construction to suit all incomes. A Special Economic Zone, Tatu City represents a new way of living and thinking for all Kenyans, creating a unique live, work and play environment that is free from traffic congestion and long-distance commuting.

Media Contact                       Tatu City Sales Contact

Fadhili Kanini                           Dean Shillaw

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