In the latest excerpt from the book ‘Building East Africa’s Future’, which chronicles the first 25 years of FBW Group’s history, we look at our masterplanning experience
Masterplanning is about making the connection between buildings, social settings, and their surrounding environments. That is key to all FBW’s work.
The designs and concepts we have created for projects across the region are game-changers, delivering economic benefits, creating much-needed housing and improved facilities for communities.
Notable projects include the $130m Rugarama Park Estate, an affordable housing project in Kigali looking to create 2,700 homes in total.
FBW’s plan for the site includes public green spaces along the central valley with larger mixed-use retail and apartment buildings along a central spine and smaller individual houses located along the perimeter.
The development is planned around pedestrian use, creating a child friendly green environment and features residential play streets.
FBW’s Kenya office has worked on a masterplan for 2,500 residential units and mixed-use satellite development on the Tatu Heights site in Nairobi.
And in Tanzania, FBW was appointed to design Mara Oysterbay City in Dar es Salaam, a large mixed-use development on a 24-acre site. The vision for this project included a shopping mall, two hotels and a conference centre, a 250-bed hospital, multiple office and apartment buildings and a new office for the police.
FBW is also playing its part in the drive to transform East Africa’s logistics sector – boosting trade opportunities and unlocking economic potential to fuel prosperity.
As part of consortium, FBW has carried out feasibility studies centred on the creation of special ‘trade and logistics clusters’ near borders and points of entry in countries across the region.
Aid-for-trade organisation TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), funded by UK AID and other donors, is behind the strategy to create special industrial parks and export processing zones to attract investors and boost trade.
FBW is also involved in a related trade and logistics project with the same consortium in Rwanda, which is working on behalf of its government.