ARC Ghana tap : Exchange 4.0 tapping local resources for sustainable development A collaborative symposium between ARC and #tap to promote the use of local materials in Ghana’s building and construction industry. Ministry of Water Resources, The Architects #tap Works and Housing Architects' Registration Project Ministry of Environment, Science, Council Ghana thearchitectsproject.org Technology and Innovation
Thursday 9th October 2014 Dear friends and colleagues: Welcome to tap:Exchange 4.0 - tapping local resources for sustainable development We hope you enjoy today’s symposium of presentations, discussions, exhibitions and social networking themed on the above subject. The selection of case studies exploring completed projects, on-site and on-going projects, and speculative projects from an array of contributors in the building industry are aimed at equipping relevant actors in the fjeld with applicable knowledge and understanding of the use of local resources for sustainable development. Sincerely, The Organising Team
ARC Ghana ARC Ghana tap tap : Exchange : Exchange 4.0 4.0 ARC: LBM, the SPECIFIER, GHANA Some macro benefjts of this programme are as follows; Background Information 1. Reduce construction cost. Physical development is an expensive venture. More than eighty fjve percent (85%) of materials for construction 2. Provide employment for the youth especially within the localities of the processing plants and the are imported. The basic construction material used in Ghana, cement, is produced from imported clinker and areas with ongoing construction. gypsum at an average annual cost of One Hundred and Eighty Million U.S. Dollars ($180,000,000.00) to the 3. Retain foreign exchange capital. country. The cost of a fjfty kilo bag of cement has increased from Ghc 3.20 to Ghc 31.00 in the past decade, an 4. Improve upon the ambience of the local built environment increase of over 720%. This high cost of imported construction materials is not only as a result of price hikes The positive multiplier effect of these benefjts cannot be over emphasized. emanating from an unstable foreign currency exchange rate but also the profjt mark up of players in the supply To ensure the feasibility and sustainability of the programme, government, through the Architects Registration chain process of these materials. Council, is sensitizing the various levels of the built environment professionals on the need to use Local Building Materials in their construction projects. The ARC has organized a number of seminars bringing This has adversely affected the construction of critical facilities for nation building overtime, some of which together experts\in the research, development and production of some LBMs, built environment professionals include education and health facilities and houses. Currently, Ghana has a housing defjcit of over a million units and the general public which were very successful. A competition on the use of LBMs was also held to in urban centers. This simply means a very high demand for both domestic and non-domestic accommodation encourage built environment professionals to explore new and innovative ways of employing them in design thereby driving rents upwards. and construction. There is however, abundant, diverse raw material in the country which can be used in the construction industry. Through feedback, the ARC has observed one major challenge being the availability, standardization and These include clay, lime, laterite, both soft and hard wood, various types of rock deposits just to mention a few. perception of the Ghanaian on the use of LBMs. Some of these raw materials can be found in most districts within the country. The Architects’ Project has so far formed a strong network of young built environment and allied professionals Government Intervention who have a passion for promoting and utilizing available local resources to create innovative designs and construction techniques. With the collaboration between the Architects Registration Council (on the LBM With this background, the government of Ghana, acting through the Ministry of Environment, Science programme) and The Architects’ Project (on the tap:Exchange programme), the ARC will reach the young and Technology Innovation and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has prepared a policy on upcoming professionals with rich and unlimited ideas on The Architects’ Project’s platforms as peer advocates. the utilization of local building materials in the construction industry. This policy seeks to ensure that by the We believe our collaborative effort will produce the expected impact on stakeholders to help us achieve the year 2015, at least 60% of materials used in the building and construction industry shall be indigenous raw multiplier benefjts as Ghanaian built environment professionals. materials. Local building materials such as pozzolana cement, bamboo, clay brick and tile to mention a few are being promoted to drive the interest in their use for construction. There is also a compilation of useful empirical data on some local building materials by stakeholder Ministries, Departments and Agencies for public use. Government is also encouraging private sector in establishing plants to process these raw materials for use in the construction industry. Currently, some micro and small scale establishments are being equipped on periodic basis on skills and equipment upgrade by COTVET…..and other institutions. 04 05
ARC Ghana ARC Ghana tap tap : Exchange : Exchange 4.0 4.0 THE ARCHITECTS’ PROJECT The Architects’ Project or #tap in short, is an automous initiative focused on advancing the cause of context- #tapping local resources specifjc architectural learning and practice using a ‘bottom-up approach’. #tap engages all actors in the For this symposium, the Architects’ Project wishes to open up a dialogue between all actors of the built built environment, i.e. thinkers, users and makers. The initiative started in December 2013 with three key environment, including policy makers (government agencies), practitioners (architects, engineers, contractors, programmes: tap:Exchange, tap:Build and tap:Journal. etc) and developers (private and public sector developers), with the aim of identifying an approach towards a sustainable development in the building industry. tap:Exchange + is a component of tap, which comes under the umbrella of tapping Ghana; + is concerned with both the education and practice of architecture in Ghana; + is a real live platform for constructive critical thinkers, doers, and users of the built environment; + feeds into the Research strand of tap’s overall agenda; the part where we identify and understand the common problems; + wants to bring together local and international researchers and practitioners, groups and/or individuals, to provide solutions to the common problems; and + is held every quarter of the year – a tap year runs from December to September. tap:Build + project facilitates learning through making; + is where we achieve innovative design through research, and research through design; + is a design process coupled with the challenge of building live, for live clients; and + explores the relationship between the design process and the construction process. JULIET SAKYI-ANSAH Find out more about the tap:Build team and how you can get involved by emailing juliet@thearchitectsproject. RIBA Part 2; Probationer GIA org. Or you can get in touch about for a collaboration. Founder, The Architects’ Project tap:Journal Architects and actors in the building industry have the power to infmuence a more sustainable urban and rural + is an annual publication, rounding up each year, always with other related matters in the built environment; Ghana in terms of development (economic, social, environmental, etc). We strive to develop Ghana but does + is a peer-reviewed journal which brings both academic and practice work in Ghana together for national and development mean we should source the most part of what we use from foreign countries? To the point where international consumption; and we need to source the skills required for construction techniques and materials from foreign countries too? + intends to make knowledge in the fjeld accessible and relative to the local context. Can we sustain this approach? Further to my curiosity, I’m keen to explore how, who and what infmuences our design/construction palette; and a way forward to change perceptions on the use of local materials in contemporary architecture - there’s an urgent need for innovation. 06 07
ARC Ghana ARC Ghana tap tap : Exchange : Exchange 4.0 4.0 SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME tapping local resources for sustainable development 15:30 arrivals. 16:00 - Welcome notes by Arc. Stella N.D. Arthiabah, Registrar ARC 16:15 talks. built project presentations Arch. Giulia Fortunato Arc. Daniel Kwadwo Teye Hon. Johnny Osei Kofj Brandon Rogers 17:30 exchange. interactive session Moderators - Arc. Kwadwo Abankwa - Arc. Nana Akua Oppong MCs - Arc. Robert Frakue - Arc. Kofj Koomson 18:30 exhibition. cocktails. social networking 17:30 close. 08 09
talks. AQUA SAFARI RESORT Bricklane Development Group
Recommend
More recommend
