Ndarugu CLT-prototype building raised in Kenya

All the way back in 2019 we were asked by Arvet Trä to explore how a modular CLT-system could be employed to imagine a densely built yet highly qualitative urban fabric for students in Kenya. The result was Ndarugu Student City, a scheme involving everything from the design of the individual module to the urban planning. We are now excited to announce that a prototype building made up of four of the modules has been raised on site in Kenya!

A picture showing a crane lifting CLT

In June 2024 Ivan Segato, friend and colleague at Varg arkitekter, travelled down to Kenya to supervise the assembly of the protype. Arne Olsson, CEO at Arvet describes:

"We have now worked for many years to spread knowledge about the benefits of using our forests, i.e wood, to build the societies of the future. To really get our message across we have participated in the development of a future housing project in Kenya, prospective student housing, which has of course been a major challenge given the great shortage of usable forests.

To make the dizzying idea of a wooden “city” in East Africa credible we have delivered a two-story building of 100 m2 made of CLT (Cross Laminated Timber). The house arrived to Nairobi in june-24 and the structure was assembled in one week. The house is now being completed with interior and installations.

Building in wood means that CO2 emissions are reduced by 2 tons per m3 used wood and in Kenya´s case it also means that over time a sustainable forestry is developed that creates prosperity for the country through the education and jobs created by this new industry."

A picture showing the assembly of the CLT-modules

The CLT modules were designed to minimize cut-offs and waste using the full width of the CLT panels. By rotating the modules so that all short sides face North/South solar heat gains will drop. The effect is heightened by the addition of balconies and access balconies, shading the facades. This in combination with making all apartments two-sided, enabling natural ventilation, will result in a significantly higher potential to provide the students with a comfortable indoor climate.

Modules can be combined into two different dwelling units: the Single Unit (25m2, 1-2 students) and the Double Unit (50 m2, 3-6 students). Both are designed according to the ”Easy Accessibility”-guidelines of UN Enable. In addition to private rooms, they include a kitchen, bathroom as well as interior and exterior social spaces.

A picture showing the prototype building

Arkemi; design, Varg arkitekter (through Ivan Segato); assembling supervisor, Södermalms trä; assembling supervisor, Mayr&Meinhof; production of CLT; Ramböll; structure design, Setra; sponsor, Södra; sponsor, SBV; sponsor, Stockholmshus; sponsor, University of Jomo Kenyatta; training and education, Windsor; client

How to CLT 3.0 - Collaborating with CLT

Thanks to funding by ARQ and Stockholms Byggnadsförening, and with support from Svenskt Trä, we have once again made an update to our research project How to CLT! In a new chapter of our CLT handbook, we propose 6 principles for a closer collaboration between the consultants that we believe will foster innovation, architectural quality and efficiency when working with CLT. Furthermore, our Grasshopper definition has been updated with additional functionality and the possibility to work with more complex volumes.

Ndarugu CLT-prototype building raised in Kenya

Arkemi co-authors CLT guide in collaboration with Svenskt Trä

How to CLT, our research project concerning the early design of buildings constructed with Cross Laminated Timber, has caught the interest of the Swedish forest industry. In collaboration with Tomas Alsmarker (Svenskt Trä) and with the support of CLT-producers Martinsons, Setra and Södra we have now co-authored a CLT guide for the early stages, to be distributed for free by Svenskt Trä.

Arkemi takes part in MANI-FEST

In september 2023 the office travelled to Malmö for the launch weekend of MANI-FEST, an exhibition and publication by SPARK, where 15 young Swedish architects were invited to craft their own manifestos. The weekend featured a series of roundtable discussions, including one themed "a rejection of the present age", in which Kayrokh participated.

Key Lessons of Reuse

If you haven’t heard yet, reuse is the new use. An increasing number of architects and contractors are opting to incorporate second-hand elements over newly produced alternatives. Reclaiming building materials was the norm for centuries because of how resource efficient the practice is. Somewhere along the way, however, this stopped being standard practice in modern societies.