Reference Books

A Guide to a Healthy House in Kenya Air. Light. Water. Warmth. Sound. — The Architecture of Human Health and Well-being Your house is not just shelter. It is an environmental machine that, every hour of every day, either protects your health or quietly erodes it — through the air you breathe, the light you receive, the water you store, the warmth you keep, and the noise you endure. And as architect Emmanuel S. Milikau argues in this landmark book, far too many Kenyan homes are making the people inside them sick. Drawn from three decades of practice and grounded in WHO guidance, KEBS and Kenya Building Code standards, and the realities of Kenyan climates, materials, and construction economics, A Guide to a Healthy House in Kenya re-frames the home as a health system built on five essential pillars: Air, Light, Water, Warmth, and Sound. For each, Milikau explains what the science says, what Kenyan buildings routinely get wrong, and — crucially — what can be fixed at the design table, on site, or after you've moved in, usually at little or no extra cost. This is not theory imported from London or Singapore. It is written from Nairobi, about the highland chill of Nakuru and Eldoret, the coastal heat of Mombasa, the cooking fumes of sealed kitchens, the ceiling damp of the wet season, and the traffic noise of the urban estate. Inside you'll find: • The Five Pillars framework, explained in plain language anyone can use • Room-by-room guidance for kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms • Practical, zero-energy strategies: cross-ventilation, the verandah, thermal mass, shading, the kitchen "one-meter rule" • Special chapters on children, the elderly, pregnancy, and biophilic design • Self-assessment checklists and a complete Healthy House Assessment Tool to score any home you're building, buying, renovating, or already living in Whether you are an architect future-proofing your designs, a developer or builder raising your standard, or a homeowner who simply wants a home that supports life rather than diminishing it, this book hands you the questions and principles the professionals use — before you commit to a single decision. Because, as the dedication reminds us: "A house that hurts you is not a home." About the Author: Arch. Emmanuel S. Milikau (B.Arch., M.Arch., MAAK(A), Reg. Arch.) is Managing Director of Emacs CAD Solutions Ltd in Nairobi, with 30 years' experience across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, and Seychelles. He is also the author of A Guide to Building Your House in Kenya and its companion handbook.