About Us

The Faculty of Built Environment and Design offers a unique range of educational opportunities spanning the diverse range of professions involved in planning, architecture and construction, development and costing, valuation and management of the environment and infrastructure. Its driving philosophy is geared towards the promotion of effective training, education, relevant research and academic excellence in the built environment and related fields.

The Faculty of Built Environment and Design offers a unique range of educational opportunities spanning the diverse range of professions involved in planning, architecture and construction, development and costing, valuation and management of the environment and infrastructure. Its driving philosophy is geared towards the promotion of effective training, education, relevant research and academic excellence in the built environment and related fields.

The Faculty caters for the needs of government, industry, local and international communities and professional practice by providing courses in Architecture and Design Technology, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Valuation and property Management, planning, Housing and Urban Management. The courses offered in the School embrace a diversity of subjects, the main common theme running through them being the man-made physical environment and the exercise of human control over it.

There are opportunities within the undergraduate taught programmes for industrial placements, field trips, and practical work, which supplement the usual mix of lectures, assignments and group work. To enrich our programmes, the Faculty maintains close links with the needs of practice through scholarships, research and consultancy. Virtually all courses are fully recognized and accredited by the relevant professional bodies. These include Architectural Association of Kenya, Institution of Surveyors of Kenya, Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya and Kenya Institute of Planners. In addition, the Bachelor of Architectural Studies/Bachelor of Architecture course is accredited by Commonwealth Association of Architects.

The professions within the Faculty of Built Environment and Design have got a long history. They are as old as the University of Nairobi itself. 

The Faculty currently comprises of four (4) departments namely; Department of Arts and Design,  Department of Architecture, Department of Real Estate, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, and Department Urban and Regional Planning. The Faculty offers professional courses in the fields of Architecture, Real Estate, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, and Planning leading to Bachelor degrees in these fields.

There are also, currently six (6) two year postgraduate courses in Urban Management, Planning, Housing Administration, Valuation and Property Management, Construction Management and Architecture. The programmes are also open to self-sponsored students commonly referred to as Module II programmes. As a professional School with diverse interests and needs, we are committed to being the leading built environment teaching and research institution in Africa. In order to offer relevant, dynamic and market driven academic programmes, all the Departments within the School are currently developing new curriculum in their respective disciplines.