FROM TENDRILS - Regenerative Design for a Contemporary MICE Centre in Africa.

The Technical University of Kenya

Project idea

The growing demand for business tourism across East Africa presents an opportunity to redefine the role of convention architecture. Rather than functioning solely as venues for meetings and exhibitions, MICE facilities can become regenerative landscapes that restore ecological systems while enriching everyday human experience. The proposed Tatu City MICE Centre explores this possibility through an architecture that is rooted in nature, responds to place and gives back more than it consumes.
Located within Tatu City, Kenya's emerging mixed-use smart city, the project embraces the site's existing stream, mature vegetation and natural topography as generators of form rather than obstacles to development. Inspired by the movement of climbing tendrils winding around a supporting stem, the building evolves into a series of interconnected circular volumes organised around open courtyards, water and gardens. The resulting composition creates a fluid sequence of conference, exhibition, learning and public spaces that dissolve the boundary between architecture and landscape.
Regenerative strategies are embedded throughout the project. Renewable energy generation, water harvesting, biodiversity restoration, productive landscapes and low-carbon mobility are integrated into the daily life of the building, allowing environmental performance to become part of the visitor experience rather than concealed infrastructure. Every arrival, pathway and courtyard reconnects users with nature.
Beyond accommodating international conferences, exhibitions and business events, the centre serves as a civic destination, environmental showcase and cultural landmark. It proposes a new architectural language for African convention centres—one that celebrates ecological resilience, local identity and innovation while demonstrating how large public buildings can actively regenerate the places they inhabit.

Project description

Occupying 10.33 acres within Tatu City, the proposed MICE Centre is conceived as a destination where business, culture, learning and ecology coexist within a single regenerative environment. The masterplan preserves the site's natural stream as its primary organising element, allowing water to guide movement, define public spaces and establish a continuous relationship between the built form and the surrounding landscape.
The architectural composition draws inspiration from climbing tendrils, unfolding into interconnected circular forms linked by shaded walkways and landscaped courtyards. This organic arrangement creates intuitive circulation while maximising natural daylight, cross ventilation and visual connectivity throughout the complex. Each courtyard becomes a social space, introducing water features, vegetation and natural light deep into the building while providing moments of pause between large public functions.
The programme accommodates a diverse range of activities including conferences, exhibitions, meetings, innovation workshops, administration, restaurants, resource centres and public gathering spaces. At its heart stands a woven basket-inspired Regenerative Design Gallery that celebrates environmental innovation and serves as the project's architectural landmark. Surrounding landscapes incorporate constructed wetlands, botanical gardens, bioswales, sensory gardens and an exotic bird conservation area, extending the visitor experience beyond the building envelope.
The centre is conceived as more than an event venue. It becomes an active public landscape where business tourism, environmental education and ecological restoration intersect. Architecture, infrastructure and nature operate as a single integrated system, demonstrating how large civic developments can strengthen biodiversity, improve environmental performance and create memorable places for people. The project presents an alternative vision for convention architecture in Africa—one where regeneration defines both the experience of the user and the future of the built environment.

Technical information

The proposed Tatu City MICE Centre occupies a 10.33-acre site with a total gross floor area of 59,700 m², accommodating a daily working population of approximately 600 users and up to 3,000 occupants during conferences, exhibitions and major public events. The programme includes a 1,000-seat auditorium, 500-seat multipurpose ballroom, exhibition halls, meeting suites, innovation and training facilities, administration offices, restaurants, a regenerative design gallery, resource centre, public plazas and outdoor event lawns.
Flexibility forms a fundamental design principle. Large-span structural systems and modular planning allow conference halls, exhibition spaces and meeting rooms to adapt to changing event requirements through movable partitions and flexible interior configurations. This ensures long-term operational efficiency while accommodating a wide range of national and international events.
The structural strategy combines reinforced concrete with exposed engineered timber, incorporating Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and glulam elements for pedestrian bridges, entrance canopies and public gathering spaces. Locally sourced timber, bamboo and natural stone are used extensively throughout the project, reinforcing regional identity while reducing embodied carbon. Timber brise-soleil systems, inspired by natural honeycomb patterns, provide solar protection and enrich the architectural expression of the façades.
Environmental performance is driven by passive design. Landscaped courtyards, skylights, atria, green roofs, light wells and carefully positioned openings maximise natural daylight and cross ventilation while reducing cooling demand. Rooftop photovoltaic arrays operate alongside SmartFlower solar systems that track the sun throughout the day, generating renewable energy while functioning as sculptural elements within the landscape.
Water is treated as a regenerative resource. Rainwater harvesting, bioswales, constructed wetlands, enlarged ponds and natural filtration systems collect, store and recycle water for irrigation, flushing and replenishment of the site's integrated stream network. Existing waterways are preserved and enhanced to improve biodiversity, moderate the microclimate and create habitats for birds, fish and native vegetation.
Mobility infrastructure prioritises sustainability through an automated underground parking silo accommodating over 600 vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle parking for 48 bicycles, pedestrian pathways and shaded timber bridges connecting the various precincts. Surface parking is minimised, allowing the landscape to remain predominantly green and permeable.
Every component of the project contributes to a regenerative architectural framework. Inspired by tendrils, petals, woven nests and tree canopies, the organic form expresses the same ecological principles that govern its environmental systems. The result is a convention centre that not only supports business tourism but also restores natural processes, enriches public life and establishes a new benchmark for regenerative civic architecture in Africa.

Documentation

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