Fourways Junction
Creating a new lifestyle for Nairobi’s middle class
In one of its most ambitious projects to date, the Suraya Property Group has commenced the construction of an ultra modern residential suburb in Nairobi. Dubbed the Fourways Junction, the project is a masterpiece of large scale modern lifestyle living.
According to the Group Managing Director Mr. Peter Muraya, in devising the project, their vision was to create a new suburb that will cater for the upper middle class and create a complete lifestyle experience of live, work and play. It is destined to be the first large scale secure gated community residence in Kenya, offering the perfect balance between luxury living and enriched lifestyle.
Fourways Junction is a state of the art suburb with a mix of cluster houses, apartments, office blocks, a shopping mall, a 3-star hotel, a business processing outsourcing park, a nursery, primary and secondary school, a retirement home and a fully fledged country club. When complete, it will have a total of 850 gated residential units.
Strategic location
Fourways Junction is located at a strategic junction of Kiambu Road and the Northern By-pass. The three-phase housing project occupies approximately 200 acres with phase one occupying 105 acres. It will be be easily accessible from Waiyaki Way, Thika Road and the Nairobi City Centre. Fourways Junction is strategically located 10 minutes from the United Nations Offices and the US Embassy in Gigiri. Phase one of the construction work commenced in April 2009 and is on course for completion in December 2010. It will have 233 houses at a cost of Kshs 1.2 billion US$13 million. Phase two commenced in early 2010 with all the phases set to overlap.
Site plan and development
Suraya has created a contemporary lifestyle encompassing exclusive villas and apartments. The villas are designed based on a South African concept of cluster housing and gated secured compound of between 12 to 16 units in a courtyard. Each courtyard has a stone wall with electric fence around the perimeter and a controlled access via intercom system.
Each courtyard has a dedicated developed children’s playground in the middle easily accessible from individual villas. Only green fences are allowed within the courtyard enhancing the ambience created by the open concept and a healthy community lifestyle. The apartments are located in courtyards that will have 5 to 6 blocks of 8 apartments each. Each apartment courtyard will also have controlled intercom access and a dedicated children’s playground. The villas and apartments are finished to the highest specifications and materials with parquet floors, imported coloured ceramic tiles and MDF kitchens and wardrobes.
Ownership arrangement
Fourways Junction is being developed along the pre-sale concept. Mr. Muraya says Suraya Group entered into a partnership with the Standard Chartered Bank which is providing mortgage facilities for interested buyers. All the units in phase one have already been sold out.
A vibrant commercial node
Fourways Junction offers the art of business and office space designed and constructed to the highest standards and equipped with all the necessary facilities and infrastructure. A small dedicated technology park that will cater for Business Process Outsourcing is to be developed on approximately 10 acres providing a total of 250,000sq ft. The BPO will have an EPZ status and tenant or buyers will enjoy the full advantages being given by the government to encourage investors to relocate their call centres with the arrival of the fibre optic cable in 2009.
The location is ideal for BPO as it is located near Kiambu Town which will provide accommodation for the lower class, Runda that provides accommodation for the upper class and Fourways that caters for the middle class. All of these are within 10 minutes of driving. This is also in line with Vision 2030 of decongesting the City of Nairobi.
Fourways will have an additional 130,000sq ft of office space located in low rise office blocks. Each block will occupy its own parcel of land with adequate parking . A shopping mall will be developed that will provide 200,000sq ft of shopping area with adequate parking provided. The mall will serve the Fourways community as well as cater for the Kiambu Road Traffic. A 3-star hotel with serviced apartments and functions room will be developed to cater for the mid tier UN/US staff at Gigiri. Suraya expects Fourways Junction to be a vibrant commercial and residential node.
Sporting and recreational centre
Fourways Junction will provide unprecedented sporting and fitness experience. A hallmark of Fourways is the comprehensive range of community facilities on offer. One will be able to stop off at the Fourways Mall for their grocery shopping, meet up with friends at the café and enjoy the modern four cinema movie theatre. One could also head off to the Fourways Country Club with fully equipped gymnasium or take a bike ride or morning jog along the dedicated large foot paths.
Within each small community courtyard, a dedicated children’s playground has been provided. For serious golfers, one can actually walk to the Windsor Golf Club for a game of Golf. Children’s education has been catered for with a nursery, primary and secondary school built on site. Opposite the project site, the Catholic church has developed a girl’s school.
An eco-friendly project
Fourways Junction promotes a healthy lifestyle with sustainable eco-friendly development. The suburb has designated an open area to nature, play fields, a dam and a man made water feature. Storm water and waste water will be harnessed and utilised for landscaping and development. Mr. Muraya says they are also considering harnessing solar energy for street lighting.
Visionary Leadership
The Fourways Junction project is a study in visionary leadership. “At Suraya, we have a clear vision on what we want to do, and doing it well,” says Mr. Muraya. “To succeed, one should identify a market niche and work strategically to address the needs of the target market. With the right package, the market will definitely respond.”
Project Team
Developer Suraya Properties Group Ltd
Architects Plence International Architects
Structural Engineers Pleng (K) Ltd and Cape Consult Ltd
Mechanical Engineers Donn Consultants Ltd
Quantity Surveyors Karkan Partnership Ltd
Electrical Engineers Gill Consult
Main Contractor China Wu Yi
