Project Scope » Partner Institutions

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a presence currently in some 92 countries, often in multiple cities in the same country. The Goethe-Institut Kenya, founded in 1963 and
located in Nairobi’s city centre, covers the entire scope of functions of the Goethe-Institut. The cultural program holds close to 150 events annually in all genres of art, cultural education, library cooperation and discourse.
The spectrum ranges from high culture to pop culture, from specialist, expert events to events for the general public. The often multilateral projects emanate from the Kenyan cultural scene and are often oriented towards the international academic scene and the global art circuit.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the largest funding organisation in the world supporting the international exchange of students and scholars. Since it was founded in 1925, more than 1.5 million scholars in Germany and abroad have received DAAD funding. It is a registered association and its members are German institutions of higher education and student bodies. Its activities go far beyond simply awarding grants and scholarships. The DAAD supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, assists developing countries in establishing effective universities and advises decision makers on matters of cultural, education and development policy.

The Department of Industrial Design was founded in 1992; under the trend and demands of the industry, the Master Program and the On-job Training Program of the graduate institute were founded respectively in 1998 and 1999. The goals for the under-graduate program are "Professionalism, Internationalization, and Industrialization," whereas "the combination of theories and practices and the interdisciplinary studies across all fields" are set for the graduate programs. The curricula designs are both concentrated on the learning and accumulation of design-related knowledge and the creativity generated through first-hand experiments and practices; other than those, the comprehensions, reflections, and judgments derived from discussions on humanity, society, and technology will also foster students' ability in understanding the fact that industrial design in itself is a two-fold activity with multi-layers inner framework and multi-facets outward appeals. It is under these conditions that each and every student will be able to develop his/her unique approach toward rationales, methods, and ability in the process of designing.

The Department of Architecture & Building Science is committed to the satisfaction of all its various stakeholders and to the uplifting of the quality of life for Kenyans and for all humanity.

In recently months, the Department has given much thought to the process and manner of fulfilling its mission. We now know that in order to reach the goals we have defined for ourselves, we need to partner our stakeholders in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Our students are our immediate concern but they also constitute the main source of energy in meeting our goals. It is our desire to deliver to the students a quality education characterized by a well structured exploration of knowledge in order that an intense learning process results.

Students should come out of this with a thorough understanding of the fundamental knowledge of Architecture. One of the ways we are achieving this is by a deliberate focus on “Basic Knowledge” in our curriculum.

We intend further to ensure that there is enjoyment of this process. We desire that students see the years spent with us as some of the most memorable and enjoyable of their lives. As part of this effort we are ensuring that student have modern technology available both in the classroom and in general support of their work.

It is also our wish to mould the students to take on a higher responsibility in society, in their own profession and in the shaping of our social condition. Graduates of the school should be able to shoulder the moral responsibility in the shaping of our cities, living environments, institutions, etc.

From the students we ask for commitment to the learning process and an appreciation of the values of the professions we represent.

As a center of Architectural learning we endeavor to be an effective node in the international network of scholars in our fields. Collaboration with our colleagues in the international scene is critically important to our mission and we welcome expressions of interest to work with us either in teaching, research work or community service. The Department is continuously reaching out to our colleagues elsewhere for partnership and sharing.

In similar manner, we are concerned with other players in the shaping of the built environment. The Department has a declared goal to impact positively on the work of practitioners in this area, policy makers and the general public. This is achieved by the manner we structure our research agenda and community services. We recognize that our research and publications efforts must also be accessible to these other audiences. We also recognize that we must be active players in the enhancement of economic activity among the people through developing knowledge and applying it in a manner that raises the quality of life.

The full exploration of this last point has seen the Department begin to embrace fully the challenges that come with being a center of creativity. The significance of this aspect of our work goes beyond the architectural profession or the built environment. The Department is thus working to play a deeper role in enshrining creativity as a guiding principle in the full spectrum of economic activity in the nation and beyond.

Post-graduate design programme