Urban Green Consultants Ltd (UGC) is a 100% Kenyan-owned and managed sustainability consulting firm founded in 2015. UGC specializes in ‘green’ or ‘high performing’ buildings.
Rapid building development coupled with exponential population growth and over consumption of resources has placed significant pressure on our environments. Through green building and sustainable urban design, UGC aims to address these issues and create a more sustainable future for the world.
UGC’s vision is to become a world class consultancy effective at providing sustainable solutions that are cost efficient and practical to implement.
20% of potable water
39% of primary energy
40% of raw materials
48% of Carbon emissions
70% of Electricity
30-50% of energy
35% of carbon emissions
40% of water
70% of solid waste
Workers are 18% more productive
Students achieve 5-14%
Higher test scores
Hospital stays 8.5% shorter
Retail sales 15-40% higher
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
Green Star is an internationally recognized green building certification created in Australia and adopted in South Africa and most recently Kenya.
Building simulation modeling works are often required for most green certification rating tools to assist in analyzing the building performance and identifying areas for improvement. UGC has a range of advanced software tools capable of precisely analyzing various elements of building functions such as daylighting, ventilation, lighting, acoustics, smoke extraction modeling and solar pv sizing.
EIAs are legal requirement and part of the project development process usually done at the initial stages of a project development. It is a decision making tool and should guide whether a project should be implemented, abandoned or modified prior to implementation. The goal of an EIA is to ensure that decisions on proposed projects and activities are environmentally sustainable. UGC Consultants have extensive experience undertaking EIAs both locally and internationally. Several projects in Nairobi include the French Embassy, ICRC Red Cross, Taita Sisal Estates and Voi Village Complex.
The goal of an energy audit is of course to identify energy-saving opportunities, but also to increase asset values, lower ownership costs and promote environmental stewardship, human comfort, health and safety. UGC has carried out several energy audits in Nairobi including for I&M Bank.
The local construction industry often falls significantly short of international best management practices and legal requirements set within the country for both occupational health and safety and environmental management.
Environmental audits are the systematic documented, periodic and objective evaluations of how activities and processes of an ongoing project to determine how far these activities and programs conform to the approved environmental management plan of that specific project and sound environmental management practices.
Amrish Shah is the founder and Managing Director of UGC. Amrish holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia and a Masters of Environmental Management majoring in Sustainable Development from the University of Queensland, Australia. He is a LEED Green Associate, Green Star Accredited Professional, EDGE Expert and EDGE Auditor. Amrish is also the Board Secretary of the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS)
Mike Barker is the founder of Building Physics, South Africa. Mike is a highly specialised electrical engineer with over 30 years of industry experience. Mike specialises in Electronics Building Services, Building Control Systems and Building Management Systems. Mike was a key member of the team undertaking the LEED certification of the Coca Cola building in Johannesburg as well as the majority of South Africa’s convention centre’s including the Durban International Conventional Centre, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Polokwane Convention & Exhibition Centre and the Nelson Mandela Bay Convention Centre.
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