Tema-Ghana, Sept. 8, CDA Consult – Mr. Samuel Yaw Oppong, the principal architect at Awers Architects Limited, has advised Ghanaian architects to consider the preservation and sustainability of Ghanaian culture when constructing homes, businesses, and commercial structures.
According to Mr Oppong, it is crucial that architects work to conserve traditional Ghanaian building styles, just as the University of Ghana has continued to use brick tiles for its roofing in new construction.
In an interview with the media as monitored by Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema about modern architectural styles and their effects on sustainability, he made this statement.
He voiced concern that the designs being developed will make it difficult to retain Ghana’s architectural character, forcing the demolition of existing buildings to make place for constructions with unsustainable designs.
He claimed, for instance, that modern structures employed glass and other materials that consumed a lot of electricity, whereas Ghanaian traditional buildings were built in a way that allowed natural light and ventilation, reducing the excessive use of electricity.
“Our own method of construction is more efficient and energy-efficient, but because we want to duplicate it and reproduce it incorrectly, for example, one might have a large structure with tinted glasses all over it. How do you maintain energy in such a building? The entire time, air conditioning would be used, he stated.
The Principal Architect emphasised that there is no way that such structures could be maintained, noting that glazing is inappropriate for buildings in Ghana due to its climate, as opposed to earlier times when the natural ecology was utilised.
In response to a question on how Ghanaian architecture was changing, he remarked that, like other elements of life, as people tried to merge various cultures into the existing one, civilization and modernity were primarily to blame.
He added that, for example, he consults some of his colleagues in other countries to stay up to date on new ideas that he incorporates into his work. He stated that as people travel the world, they see different architectural designs and seek similar things in Ghana.
According to Mr. Oppong, it is regrettable that occasionally these designs are incorrectly reproduced and replicated in a vacuum without taking into account the local people’s culture, climate, and land type, among other factors.
He continued by saying that the type of buildings has also evolved with time, citing the example of how Ghanaians used to construct courtyard-style homes in which everyone could see what you were doing because the bathrooms, kitchens, and grounds were shared by everyone.
Nevertheless, he continued, “Now it has changed and everyone wants their own corner, so instead of the shared way, in designing, everyone wants an ensuite bedroom where you have everything for yourself, even in a rented flat.”
The Principal Architect indicated that even with terracing, people now prefer having terraces with covers instead of the original terrace serving as a transition point from outside to the room.
