D+A House
TYPE
LOCATION
SIZE
YEAR
STATUS
Residential + Restoration
Nairobi, Kenya
1000 sq. meters
2025
Ongoing
The D+A House a collaborative project by Studio Mehta Architecture (sm.a) and Object Subject Architecture (O/S)
ABOUT THE PROJECT
D+A House is a careful restoration and expansion of a 1960s residence in the heart of Nairobi. The project re-envisions the original structure as a refined mid-century hideaway, preserving the character and proportions of the existing home while introducing a series of contemporary additions that reconnect the property with its remarkable natural setting.
The design approach treats the original house with restraint. Key architectural elements of the 1960s structure—its proportions, material palette, and relationship to the garden—are retained and carefully restored. The new interventions are deliberately legible, extending the home through a series of modern pavilions that open the living spaces toward the surrounding landscape. Through these additions, the house transitions from a relatively inward-looking residence into one that actively engages with its gardens, terraces, and tree canopy.
At the centre of the project is the studio’s most distinctive intervention: a newly introduced tree house pavilion. Conceived as a modernist retreat, the structure lightly inhabits the upper canopy of the indigenous trees that define the property. Elevated above the ground, the pavilion floats amongst branches and filtered light, offering a quiet vantage point over the garden below. Its restrained architectural language—simple structure, careful detailing, and open edges—ensures that the surrounding landscape remains the dominant presence.
The tree house becomes both a spatial and symbolic centrepiece for the project. It represents a contemporary layer added to the mid-century narrative of the home, while reinforcing the studio’s commitment to working with, rather than against, the natural environment. Through this balance of restoration and new construction, D+A House emerges as a residence that honours Nairobi’s architectural past while opening itself to the richness of its landscape.
