mzeiya
Elder Lister
Which is the TALLEST BUILDING IN KENYA - BRITAM TOWER or GTC OFFICE TOWER? I've teamed up with @ernest_nyakundi, a construction expert, to settle this debate. A Thread
The GTC Office Tower has 43 useable floors and is located along Waiyaki Way in Westlands, Nairobi. It's owned by AVIC International. On the other hand, the Britam Tower has 32 useable floors and is located along Hospital Road in Upper Hill, Nairobi. It's owned by Britam Holdings
From the number of floors, it would seem that The GTC Office Tower has already earned the title of the tallest building. That's exactly what its developers thought when construction began in 2015. But Britam pulled a 'Tharaka Nithi' on them - they added a SPIRE to its top ✈
A spire is a steeply pointed pyramidal or conical structure that is installed on buildings; usually, churches and skyscrapers. It serves two purposes: aesthetic and/or symbolic. In Britam's case, the spire was aesthetic; the architects wanted to add vertical emphasis to it.
Since spires are installed for aesthetics and/or symbolism, should they be included in a building's height when determining its ranking among the tallest buildings? This is a subject of intense debate in the architectural community.
A section of architects argue that since spires are integral to a building's architectural design, they should be included in its height. Others believe that there are architects who use spires to artificially inflate the height of buildings without adding useable floor space.
The last group goes on to suggest that buildings with spires should be ranked separately from those without. If we were to go with the last group, then, the GTC Office Tower would have ranked as the tallest building in Kenya. Why?
Because, the GTC Office Tower, which has no spire, is 184m tall. The Britam Tower, which has a 60m spire, is 200m tall; meaning its height without the spire is 140m; similar to KRA's Times Tower.
The question on inclusion of spires in a building's height is so contentious that there exists a council to determine building heights - The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). And guess what guys? They include spires in their building heights.
This therefore means that the Britam Tower is the tallest building in Kenya; and in East and Central Africa. And guess who number two is? That's right - the GTC Office Tower. Both buildings are ranked 7th and 8th in Africa, respectively.
Shortly after The Britam Tower was launched in 2018, I managed to access its top-most floor and while there, I captured this up-close photo of its spire. Isn't it beautiful?
Besides the spire, I also managed to capture these cool photos of other buildings from the top of the Britam Tower. I captured one of these photos from the top of the GTC Tower. Can you guess which one it is?
Do you love these photos? I can print and mount them for you as shown below. Kindly reach out on Whatsapp through: https://t.co/Mo3SBBQbzp Enjoy free delivery within Nairobi and affordable rates to other towns.
If you enjoyed this thread, and would like more of this, be sure to follow both of us: @ernest_nyakundi and @NairobiVisuals. Do you know the story behind the Britam Tower? Here's a thread about it. https://t.co/ofnYbc5SY7
Courtesy: https://x.com/NairobiVisuals
The GTC Office Tower has 43 useable floors and is located along Waiyaki Way in Westlands, Nairobi. It's owned by AVIC International. On the other hand, the Britam Tower has 32 useable floors and is located along Hospital Road in Upper Hill, Nairobi. It's owned by Britam Holdings
From the number of floors, it would seem that The GTC Office Tower has already earned the title of the tallest building. That's exactly what its developers thought when construction began in 2015. But Britam pulled a 'Tharaka Nithi' on them - they added a SPIRE to its top ✈
A spire is a steeply pointed pyramidal or conical structure that is installed on buildings; usually, churches and skyscrapers. It serves two purposes: aesthetic and/or symbolic. In Britam's case, the spire was aesthetic; the architects wanted to add vertical emphasis to it.
Since spires are installed for aesthetics and/or symbolism, should they be included in a building's height when determining its ranking among the tallest buildings? This is a subject of intense debate in the architectural community.
A section of architects argue that since spires are integral to a building's architectural design, they should be included in its height. Others believe that there are architects who use spires to artificially inflate the height of buildings without adding useable floor space.
The last group goes on to suggest that buildings with spires should be ranked separately from those without. If we were to go with the last group, then, the GTC Office Tower would have ranked as the tallest building in Kenya. Why?
Because, the GTC Office Tower, which has no spire, is 184m tall. The Britam Tower, which has a 60m spire, is 200m tall; meaning its height without the spire is 140m; similar to KRA's Times Tower.
The question on inclusion of spires in a building's height is so contentious that there exists a council to determine building heights - The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). And guess what guys? They include spires in their building heights.
This therefore means that the Britam Tower is the tallest building in Kenya; and in East and Central Africa. And guess who number two is? That's right - the GTC Office Tower. Both buildings are ranked 7th and 8th in Africa, respectively.
Shortly after The Britam Tower was launched in 2018, I managed to access its top-most floor and while there, I captured this up-close photo of its spire. Isn't it beautiful?
Besides the spire, I also managed to capture these cool photos of other buildings from the top of the Britam Tower. I captured one of these photos from the top of the GTC Tower. Can you guess which one it is?
Do you love these photos? I can print and mount them for you as shown below. Kindly reach out on Whatsapp through: https://t.co/Mo3SBBQbzp Enjoy free delivery within Nairobi and affordable rates to other towns.
If you enjoyed this thread, and would like more of this, be sure to follow both of us: @ernest_nyakundi and @NairobiVisuals. Do you know the story behind the Britam Tower? Here's a thread about it. https://t.co/ofnYbc5SY7
Courtesy: https://x.com/NairobiVisuals
