EDGE Goes Affordable: Why Green Certification Is No Longer Just for Luxury Homes
For years, the phrase “green building” in Kenya conjured images of high-end towers in Westlands or leafy suburbs where only the wealthy could afford to live. Glass facades. Solar panels. Rainwater harvesting. All expensive. All for people who could pay a premium for the privilege of being environmentally conscious. That story has changed. In January […]
MycoTile: Turning Maize Cobs and Coffee Husks into Building Materials
Picture this: a sack full of sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous waste left behind after juice extraction. On its own, it is just agricultural trash. But when you introduce oyster mushroom mycelium—the root‑like network of fungi—something remarkable happens. The mycelium bonds the loose fibres into a dense, stable panel. That panel can insulate a wall, line […]
The Billions Hidden in Inefficient Buildings: Why 2026 Is the Year to Build Differently
Let us start with a number that should stop any developer mid-thought. A typical Kenyan household spends about Sh7,000 monthly on power . If that same home were designed and built with energy efficiency in mind, that bill could drop to Sh3,870 . Do the math. That is Sh3,225 saved every single month. Sh38,700 saved […]
Beyond Bricks: Why Kenya’s New Timber Vision Changes How We Build
For decades, timber in Kenyan construction has played a supporting role. Formwork during pouring. Roof trusses hidden from view. Interior finishes applied last. It has been useful, yes, but never central to the conversation about structural materials. That is changing. In late 2025, the government unveiled the Industrial Wood Sector Vision 2050, a comprehensive roadmap […]