NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 15- Research will be critical to moving biophilic construction in Kenya from an emerging concept into a mainstream standard in the built environment, industry experts have said.
Architects and biophilia practitioners argue that stronger research is needed to establish measurable evidence on the economic, environmental and social benefits of integrating nature into buildings, helping developers and policymakers move beyond treating biophilic design as an optional feature.
Speaking during the second edition of the Africa Biophilic Conference and Expo in Nairobi, architect and Kenya Green Building Society technical committee member Roy Githaiga said research would provide the evidence needed to develop and enforce standards for nature-centered construction.
“Research is always necessary for something to be made as a standard. The same level of research that goes into medicine is needed in the built environment.”
“We cannot keep going on the same way and expect change in the future. Research allows us to understand what is required and the alternatives available.”
Githaiga said Kenya had made progress through the 2024 Building Code, which incorporates sustainability considerations, but warned that implementation and awareness remained significant challenges.
He said biophilic principles should also be embedded in university curricula so that architects, designers and other built-environment professionals encounter the concepts early in their training rather than having to learn them after entering the industry.
The experts said research should also focus on translating existing indigenous knowledge into documented and accessible knowledge that can inform modern construction.
Wangui Mwangi, founding chair of the Green Biophilic Living Society (GBLS), said significant research on biophilia already exists globally, but much of it remains inaccessible to ordinary developers, practitioners and the public.
“The gap is creating a bridge between academia and everyday understanding of what all this research means. People do not have time to read massive books and journals.”
“The research needs to come out as a story that is understandable. Biophilia the love of life and harmony with nature is not new here; it is something Africans have lived and practiced.”
Mwangi said Kenya could draw from traditional approaches to living and building in harmony with nature while using modern research to measure their benefits.
She argued that evidence would also help developers understand the commercial value of features such as green roofs, bioswales and other nature-based infrastructure.
The push for research comes as Kenya seeks to translate sustainability provisions in its building regulations into actual construction practices. Githaiga said the country had developed various guidelines and technical working groups, but implementation remained a key weakness.
Meanwhile, international biophilia practitioner George Irwin said Kenya’s rapidly expanding construction sector gives it an opportunity to incorporate nature-based design at the planning stage rather than retrofit it after buildings are completed.
Irwin, founder and CEO of US-based Green Living Tech, said Nairobi could avoid some of the challenges faced by older cities where green technologies are often added after construction.
“What I think you have is opportunity. Nairobi is poised to really set the standard on new policy because you have a lot of construction going on.”
“You can now plan ahead. You don’t have to be another major city; you can become the major city that sets the example.”
Irwin said regulation would be important in creating demand for biophilic construction, while noting that African communities had long used nature-based approaches such as green roofs before the practices acquired modern terminology.
His company also signed a memorandum of understanding with GBLS during the conference aimed at knowledge transfer, training and the development of nature-based infrastructure.
Mwangi said the partnership would help translate biophilia into measurable infrastructure and strengthen local capacity, including through training and development of supply chains.
The conference comes as Kenya’s construction industry grapples with the need to balance rapid urban development with sustainability, resource efficiency and climate resilience.
For proponents of biophilic construction, however, the next phase will depend less on promoting the concept and more on generating evidence that can demonstrate its value, inform policy and make nature-centered construction commercially viable.
