Nairobi, Aug. 4 -- Our conversation with architect Mark Mwoka starts with the black building in Westlands that hosts the Park Inn by Radisson.

Mr Mwoka witnessed the progression of the building from sketches to a solid structure. He was an intern at Innovative Planning and Design Consultants Limited and was involved in its conceptualisation.

The brains behind the project were George Arabbu Ndege, the current president of the Architectural Association of Kenya, and another architect Mr Mwoka prefers to call JT.

"I worked with both of them on that job, and the project taught me a lot about hospitality architecture," says Mr Mwoka.

"I remember designing the taper on the roof with George Arabbu," he adds, noting that he also shared his id...