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

“Having Naomi and Boniface work alongside SOM on its masterplan 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.”