GBCSA Academy AP Spotlight: Susan Wambui Kabue

Award-winning architect, Susan Wambui Kabue is the Founder and Managing Director of Image Three Sixty Designs in Kenya.

Her exceptional talent and natural flair for design has established her as an industry leader – earning her recognition as one of Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 women in business for her role in the commercial interiors industry.Under her leadership, Image 360 Designs Ltd won “Best Office Interior in Africa” at the prestigious International Property Awards and LEED Gold for the World Bank Group and Citi Bank Gigiri projects. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and is a Green Star Interiors AP.

Follow Susan on Linkedin.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Creating spaces that our clients enjoy working in and that ultimately improve their well-being, productivity and performance.

Which projects are you most proud of working on?

Citi Bank Offices In Eaton Place (LEED Gold) and World Bank Offices in Kenya (LEED Gold).

What set you on your current career path?

My passion for interior design and an entrepreneurial drive.

Who or what have been the strongest influences guiding your professional life?

My family.

Which has been more valuable in your career, your education or your experience and why?

My experience. Because I started the firm when I was young and inexperienced, there have been invaluable lessons and growth from the mistakes made and achievements obtained along the way.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your professional career?

Build strong relationships with your clients. Those relationships will be extremely important in sustaining the business during tough times.

How has the industry changed since you started?

Clients are more exposed, there is greater access to other markets.

What do you think are the changes needed for the industry to reach its sustainability goals?

We need demystify sustainability to the common man in order to make it achievable. To most clients it seems like a complex and expensive process therefore they are not willing to pursue it. If we are able to simplify the benefits and the way to achieve those benefits to the common man, the public will be more receptive to attempting some measures even in small projects.

What advice do you have for someone new to the green sustainable built environment sector?

It is not complex, it is not expensive. It is just changing the way we do the things we do, in order to ensure that all the generations that come find a world better than the one we live in today.