Can Kenya's iconic buildings last 100 years?

Kenya National Archives. [File, Standard]

If made to last that long, or longer, conscious effort has to be made to ensure that such a building conforms to changing needs, with regular renovations necessary to keep the building habitable.

"Skyscrapers and other structures can be designed to last over 100 years. A structure like the Empire State Building in New York has now lasted for close to 92 years but there are always efforts made to preserve it and change the spaces to meet the modern space requirements," says Mr Okemwa.

Just as wrinkles appear on the human skin so do cracks in an ageing building, alongside other indicators that age is finally catching up. And just as professionals find themselves flung out of contention for jobs when their skillset becomes obsolete with cutting-edge technology only accommodating the very tech-savvy, often younger, workers, so do buildings often lose their place to newer, more modern ones as societies evolve.

"Structurally, upon realisation of failures in the support system, such as the development of cracks, concrete chipping off or, if it is a steel structure, the members starting to corrode, then you can question the structural soundness of a building," he says.

"Functionally, when a building is not meeting the spatial requirements it was initially designed to offer or due to change of planning regulations that could require buildings of a specific scale put up in some zones of a city," the architect says. "The bungalows that were put up in Lavington and Kilimani areas are now demolished and replaced by high-rise commercial and residential blocks."

Enamoured of the very ancient, our most famous city landmarks could be preserved to be seen by another generation. The over 55-metre high Tower of Pisa in Italy, which leans by about four degrees, was built in 1372, with the foundation set in unstable subsoil causing a tilt before construction was complete. The tower has been preserved for hundreds of years, defying the death knell initially sounded on it years ago, and in many subsequent years.

Can the KICC, which looks perfectly solid, and other monuments that grace our city, stand the test of time and see the next century?

All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The Eurocodes cover in a comprehensive manner "all principal construction materials (concrete, steel, timber, masonry and aluminium), all major fields of structural engineering (basis of structural design, loading, fire, geotechnics, earthquake, etc) and a wide range of types of structures and products (buildings, bridges, towers and masts, silos, etc)".

Mr Okemwa says that at the point where the building has served its purpose and it finally has to be done away with, proper measures have to be taken to ensure safe demolition.

"If it gets to that point then the building will have to be decommissioned; in that case, the appropriate processes will be activated to ensure safe demolition. There are several technologies or options available to have this done," he says.

However, just as a human being who wishes to live a long, healthy life would need regular visits to the hospital for medical checkups to make sure every little illness is detected and treated, buildings need regular inspection.

"Building services (such as electrical and mechanical ones) could deteriorate and thus render a building unsafe for human occupation," he says. "To help avoid this, the services need to be inspected regularly (especially for buildings over 30 or 40 years) so that necessary remedies are done to ensure a longer lifespan for buildings."