At Urban Green Consultants (UGC), we are constantly reaffirming ourselves and our clients of the important shift underway in Kenya’s built environment: sustainability is no longer a niche ambition, but a core consideration shaping policy, finance, design and investment decisions.

This alignment strongly mirrors what we are seeing on the ground through our work on industrial and logistics developments. One recent milestone that illustrates this shift is the achievement of EDGE Advanced certification for a warehouse facility developed in partnership with Africa Logistics Properties (ALP), a project that demonstrates what is possible when sustainability is embedded at the design stage rather than added later.

Performance Delivered Through Design

The project achieved:

  • 47% energy savings (without on-site solar PV integration)
  • 38% water savings
  • 42% reduction in embodied carbon in construction materials

What makes this outcome particularly significant is that the energy performance was achieved entirely through passive and efficiency-driven design strategies, rather than relying on renewable energy generation to offset inefficiencies.

Energy reductions were driven by:

  • An optimised building envelope
  • Roof insulation and high-performance glazing
  • Efficient LED lighting paired with occupancy sensors
  • Daylighting strategies aligned with warehouse operations

These measures are often underestimated in industrial buildings, yet when applied holistically, they deliver reliable, scalable, and cost-effective performance gains.

Why This Matters

This project reinforces a critical message for the industrial sector: EDGE Advanced is achievable for warehouses through design alone.

More importantly, it shows that EDGE Net Zero is not a leap, but a logical next step. With future installation of on-site renewables and demonstrated operational energy performance, this facility is well positioned to transition toward EDGE Net Zero, turning long-term decarbonisation into a planned pathway rather than a retrofit challenge.

What We’re Seeing Across the Market

As we continue supporting EDGE-certified warehouse projects across the region, several clear trends are emerging:

  • EDGE Advanced can be achieved in industrial buildings without renewable energy at the outset
  • EDGE Net Zero becomes attainable when efficient design is paired with on-site renewables
  • Energy and water efficiency directly reduce operating costs for tenants
  • On-site renewables enhance resilience while reducing pressure on national grids

Perhaps most importantly, projects like this help demystify the perception that Net Zero is “too difficult” or only viable for select building types. With the right design intent and data-driven decisions, even large-scale logistics and industrial developments can meet ambitious sustainability targets.

Looking Ahead

At Urban Green Consultants, we are proud to support ALP’s vision of delivering Grade A, sustainability-led warehouses that are future-ready and aligned with international green building standards. ALP’s developments are designed to serve a wide range of users, from distribution and light industry to cold storage, pharmaceutical and manufacturing facilities, while embedding sustainability as a baseline, not an afterthought.

This is the direction industrial development in the region is heading, and we’re excited to be part of shaping what green buildings for the industrial sector can truly achieve.