Carolyne Chelimo Bor

Second cohort of the African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges / Deuxième cohorte du programme de Bourses africaines pour la recherche sur les savoirs autochtones et alternatifs (AFRIAK) .

Affliation: Kote Consulting is a registered design and research studio in Kenya

Discipline: Architecture

Country / Pays: Kenya

Project Title / Titre du projet: Local Material Innovation: Sisal in Traditional African Architecture and Contemporary Design.

Biographie / Biography: Currently, I am the founder of Kote Consulting, a research driven studio grounded in innovation, sustainable materials, social justice and cultural responsive architecture. Working in Kote highlights how we often overlook the abundant raw materials we have at our disposal but instead rely on processed and imported ones which ultimately make our buildings less sustainable, difficult and costly to maintain. My practice entails designing buildings informed by material research conducted by myself and other fellows to ensure each project responds to its context.
Additionally, I work as an architect at a consulting firm where we design and supervise the construction of affordable housing projects across Kenya. The state of housing in our country has been a conundrum for decades, with the capital hosting the largest informal settlement in Africa. I’m honoured to be at the forefront of solving these problems. My work often entails supervisory obligations and responsibilities such as chairing site meetings, inspections and ensuring quality compliance. In the office, I contribute to design development, coordination with various disciplines and documentation to ensure successful and timely delivery of projects.