Purple Tower: Nairobi’s New Smart Green 14-Storey Building Cutting Office Costs

• Purple Tower, a 14-storey building by Purple Dot International along Mombasa Road, is leading the focus on eco-friendly and cost-efficient design in real estate
• Real estate developers are now prioritising tenant experience by integrating smart features and reducing operational costs, according to estate agent Joseph Ngure
• Purple Tower boasts advanced sustainability measures, including a 27% cut in energy use, 41% drop in water consumption, and 33% savings in embodied material energy

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Nairobi is grappling with an oversupply of office and commercial spaces, and the city's real estate sector is undergoing a major shift.

Gone are the days when cookie-cutter buildings with generic amenities could attract tenants. In their place, a new era of smart, sustainable, and cost-efficient developments is emerging.

Located along Mombasa Road, the 14-storey Purple Tower is a flagship project by Purple Dot International, and it is pioneering the adoption of smart and green real estate in Kenya.

What do tenants want in Nairobi?

According to estate agent Joseph Ngure, developers in Nairobi are no longer just selling space, they're offering experiences.

“The trend has changed dramatically. Today’s developers are designing experiences. The goal is no longer to merely fill space, but to retain tenants by reducing their operational costs and enhancing their day-to-day convenience,” Ngure said.

This shift has placed developers under pressure to abandon outdated building practices in favour of innovative, future-ready infrastructure. With energy costs soaring and tenants growing more environmentally conscious, developments like Purple Tower are capturing attention for all the right reasons.

What makes Purple Tower special?

Purple Tower integrates several sustainability features aimed at reducing operating expenses for tenants:

• 27% reduction in energy consumption
• 41% decrease in water usage
• 33% saving in embodied material energy

These projections, according to Amrish Shah, a sustainability advisor at Urban Green Consultants, were achieved through a combination of technologies including high-performance thermal glass, energy-efficient lighting, rainwater harvesting systems, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.

Additionally, the building has been equipped with a smart building management system that automates lighting, ventilation, and temperature control, helping businesses slash electricity bills while ensuring comfort.

While Purple Tower’s office spaces, showrooms, and retail sections give it commercial versatility, the real story lies in the thinking behind the design.

Project Lead Bharat Kerai explained that Purple Dot International had to rethink what tenants want in a competitive market.

“The real estate landscape in Nairobi has changed. Tenants are more discerning as they want value, sustainability and long-term savings. We had to go back to the drawing board and ask ourselves, what can we offer that genuinely makes a difference?” said Bharat.

The developers opted for locally sourced, sustainable materials to reduce the project’s carbon footprint while enhancing the building’s aesthetic and structural integrity.

As the market continues to shift, Purple Tower stands as a case study in adaptive, smart development, showing that innovation, not size, will define the next generation of real estate in Nairobi.

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke