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Binti Haven Center
Binti Haven Center
Kenya
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Other Projects by JT+Partners
Binti Haven Center
Kenya
Firm
STATUS
Under Construction
YEAR
2027
SIZE
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft
Binti Haven Centre — Women’s Rescue Centre, Kibera, Kenya
Binti Haven Centre is envisioned as a dignified, safe, and community-rooted refuge for women and girls affected by gender-based violence in Kibera, Nairobi. Developed as a joint initiative between JT & Partners, Start Somewhere, and the Feminists for Peace, Rights and Justice Centre, the project replaces an inadequate makeshift shelter with a resilient, purpose-built environment dedicated to protection, healing, empowerment, and long-term recovery.
The architecture responds directly to the realities of Kibera’s dense urban fabric, where space is limited, safety is essential, and community presence is deeply important. Rising as a compact vertical building, the centre uses its modest footprint efficiently, organizing shelter, counselling, administration, training, and communal functions across multiple levels. Rather than appearing as an isolated institution, the building is designed as a calm and welcoming haven within the neighbourhood, balancing openness with privacy, and visibility with security.
At the heart of the design is the use of TwistBlocks, an interlocking, mortar-free construction system locally produced in Kibera. The blockwork becomes more than a structural solution; it defines the architectural character of the centre. Perforated walls filter daylight, encourage natural ventilation, and create moments of visual connection with the surrounding greenery while preserving the privacy of the women inside. The tactile, handcrafted quality of the blocks gives the building a grounded and human scale, reflecting resilience, affordability, and local identity.
Internally, the centre is planned to support both immediate crisis response and longer-term recovery. Dormitory spaces offer safe accommodation for women and girls, while private counselling rooms provide quiet settings for trauma support, legal guidance, and health-related services. Training areas, offices, storage, sanitary facilities, and shared communal zones are arranged to create a clear, functional, and supportive environment for residents, staff, and community workers.
The design also recognizes the importance of nature in the healing process. Planted pockets, shaded circulation areas, and a roof terrace introduce softness, light, and greenery into the compact building. These spaces offer moments of pause, informal gathering, laundry drying, children’s play, meals, workshops, and community activities. The result is an architecture that does not only provide shelter, but actively supports emotional recovery, dignity, and daily life.
Community expression is embedded into the project through artwork, murals, and women-led participation. The mural wall becomes a strong visual marker of identity and ownership, transforming the centre into a place of confidence, creativity, and collective strength. It reflects the voices of the women the centre is designed to serve, making the architecture both protective and empowering.
Binti Haven Centre stands as a new model for inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsive infrastructure in informal urban contexts. Through its careful planning, locally rooted construction system, passive environmental strategies, and focus on safety and dignity, the project creates more than a rescue centre. It offers a place of refuge, recovery, learning, and renewed possibility for women and girls in Kibera.
Binti Haven Centre is envisioned as a dignified, safe, and community-rooted refuge for women and girls affected by gender-based violence in Kibera, Nairobi. Developed as a joint initiative between JT & Partners, Start Somewhere, and the Feminists for Peace, Rights and Justice Centre, the project replaces an inadequate makeshift shelter with a resilient, purpose-built environment dedicated to protection, healing, empowerment, and long-term recovery.
The architecture responds directly to the realities of Kibera’s dense urban fabric, where space is limited, safety is essential, and community presence is deeply important. Rising as a compact vertical building, the centre uses its modest footprint efficiently, organizing shelter, counselling, administration, training, and communal functions across multiple levels. Rather than appearing as an isolated institution, the building is designed as a calm and welcoming haven within the neighbourhood, balancing openness with privacy, and visibility with security.
At the heart of the design is the use of TwistBlocks, an interlocking, mortar-free construction system locally produced in Kibera. The blockwork becomes more than a structural solution; it defines the architectural character of the centre. Perforated walls filter daylight, encourage natural ventilation, and create moments of visual connection with the surrounding greenery while preserving the privacy of the women inside. The tactile, handcrafted quality of the blocks gives the building a grounded and human scale, reflecting resilience, affordability, and local identity.
Internally, the centre is planned to support both immediate crisis response and longer-term recovery. Dormitory spaces offer safe accommodation for women and girls, while private counselling rooms provide quiet settings for trauma support, legal guidance, and health-related services. Training areas, offices, storage, sanitary facilities, and shared communal zones are arranged to create a clear, functional, and supportive environment for residents, staff, and community workers.
The design also recognizes the importance of nature in the healing process. Planted pockets, shaded circulation areas, and a roof terrace introduce softness, light, and greenery into the compact building. These spaces offer moments of pause, informal gathering, laundry drying, children’s play, meals, workshops, and community activities. The result is an architecture that does not only provide shelter, but actively supports emotional recovery, dignity, and daily life.
Community expression is embedded into the project through artwork, murals, and women-led participation. The mural wall becomes a strong visual marker of identity and ownership, transforming the centre into a place of confidence, creativity, and collective strength. It reflects the voices of the women the centre is designed to serve, making the architecture both protective and empowering.
Binti Haven Centre stands as a new model for inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsive infrastructure in informal urban contexts. Through its careful planning, locally rooted construction system, passive environmental strategies, and focus on safety and dignity, the project creates more than a rescue centre. It offers a place of refuge, recovery, learning, and renewed possibility for women and girls in Kibera.
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