Deans, School of the Built Environment (1979 - To Date)

Abstract

The School of The Built Environment was created as from 3 rd of January 2006, following the re-structuring of the former Faculty of Architecture, Design and Development. With over 70 staff and 1300 students we offer a unique range of educational opportunities spanning the diverse range of professions involved in the planning, design, construction, development, costing, valuation and management of our environment and infrastructure. Our driving philosophy is the promotion of effective training, education, relevant research and academic excellence in the built environment and related fields.

The School caters for the needs of government, industry, local and international communities and professional practice by providing courses in Architecture and Design Technology, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Valuation and Property Management, Planning, Housing and Urban Management. The courses offered in the School embrace a diversity of subjects, the common theme running through them being the man-made physical environment and the exercise of human control over it.

There are opportunities within the undergraduate taught programmes for industrial placements, field trips, and practical work, which supplement the usual mix of lectures, assignments, and group work. To enrich our programmes, the School maintains close links with the needs of practice through scholarship, research and consultancy. Virtually all courses are fully recognized and accredited by the relevant professional bodies. These include Architectural Association of Kenya, Institution of Surveyors of Kenya, Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya, and Kenya Institute of Planners. In addition, the Bachelor of Architectural Studies/Bachelor of Architecture course is accredited by Commonwealth Association of Architects.

The professions within the School of The Built Environment have got a long history. They are as old as the University of Nairobi itself stretching back to the days of the Royal Technical College of 1956. In 1967, the former Faculty of Arts and Architecture was re-named the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Development. This change of title reflected a re-appraisal of the objectives and scope of activities undertaken by the Faculty and the corresponding changes in the courses offered as introduced during the 1967-1970 triennium.

The School of The Built Environment offers professional courses in the fields of Architecture, Real Estate, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management and Planning leading to Bachelors degrees in these fields. There are also, currently seven (7) two-year postgraduate courses in Urban Management, Planning, Housing Administration, Valuation and Property Management, Construction Management, Building Management, and Architecture. The programmes are also open to self-sponsored students commonly referred to as Module II programmes. In addition, we offer a diploma in Estate Agency and Property Management plus a postgraduate diploma in Housing Administration. As a professional School with diverse interests and needs, we are committed to being the leading built environment teaching and research institution within the African region. In order to offer relevant, dynamic and market driven academic programmes, all the Departments within the School are currently developing new curriculum in their respective disciplines. At the students’ level, the students have established professional associations which create an avenue for linkages with built environment practitioners. The three associations are: Architectural Students’ Association (ASA), Construction and Real Estate Students’ Association (CRESA) and Planning Students Association (PLASA).

Academic staff members attend and present papers in international conferences and workshops. To support this process, the School organizes an annual East African Regional Workshop and Exhibition on Architecture and Urbanism. These workshops bring together academia and practitioners from the region to exchange and deliberate on contemporary architectural and urban issues. Proceedings of these workshops are normally published by the Africa Habitat Review Journal which is domiciled in the School. Major Milestones • Introduction of the two tier Architecture degree program in 2003. • Introduction of Bachelors program in Construction Management, program to cater for the building industry in this era when real estate sector is booming. • Introduction of B.A Planning degree program in 2002/2003. • Building of two additional floors to the ADD building to cater for the increased student numbers.