8 research outputs found
Coastal erosion management in Accra: Combining local knowledge and empirical research
No full textCoastal erosion along the Accra coast has become a chronic phenomenon that threatens both life and property. The issue has assumed a centre stage of national debate in recent times because of its impact on the coastal communities. Lack of reliable geospatial data hinders effective scientific investigations into the changing trends in the shoreline position. However, knowledge about coastal erosion, by the local people, and how far the shoreline has migrated inland over time is high in the coastal communities in Accra. This opens a new chapter in coastal erosion research to include local knowledge of the local settlers in developing sustainable coastal management. This article adopted a scientific approach to estimate rate of erosion and tested the results against perceived erosion trend by the local settlers. The study used a 1974 digital topographic map and 1996 aerial photographs. The end point rate statistical method in DSAS was used to compute the rates of change. The short-term rate of change for the 22-year period under study was estimated as -0.91 m/annum ± 0.49 m/annum. It was revealed that about 79% of the shoreline is eroding, while the remaining 21% is either stabilised or accreting. It emerged, from semi-structured interviews with inhabitants in the Accra coastal communities, that an average of about 30 m of coastal lands are perceived to have been lost to erosion for a period of about 20 years. This translates to a historic rate of change of about 1.5 m/year, which corroborates the results of the scientific study. Again this study has established that the local knowledge of the inhabitants, about coastal erosion, can serve as reliable information under scarcity of scientific data for coastal erosion analyses in developing countries
Coastal erosion management in Accra: combining local knowledge and empirical research
No full textCoastal erosion along the Accra coast has become a chronic phenomenon that threatens both life and property. The issue has assumed a centre stage of national debate in recent times because of its impact on the coastal communities. Lack of reliable geospatial data hinders effective scientific investigations into the changing trends in the shoreline position. However, knowledge about coastal erosion, by the local people, and how far the shoreline has migrated inland over time is high in the coastal communities in Accra. This opens a new chapter in coastal erosion research to include local knowledge of the local settlers in developing sustainable coastal management. This article adopted a scientific approach to estimate rate of erosion and tested the results against perceived erosion trend by the local settlers. The study used a 1974 digital topographic map and 1996 aerial photographs. The end point rate statistical method in DSAS was used to compute the rates of change. The short-term rate of change for the 22-year period under study was estimated as -0.91 m/annum ± 0.49 m/annum. It was revealed that about 79% of the shoreline is eroding, while the remaining 21% is either stabilised or accreting. It emerged, from semi-structured interviews with inhabitants in the Accra coastal communities, that an average of about 30 m of coastal lands are perceived to have been lost to erosion for a period of about 20 years. This translates to a historic rate of change of about 1.5 m/year, which corroborates the results of the scientific study. Again this study has established that the local knowledge of the inhabitants, about coastal erosion, can serve as reliable information under scarcity of scientific data for coastal erosion analyses in developing countries.https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v8i1.27
Traditional Earth Houses in Vittin, Tamale: Identity and perception of the tradition-modernity conflict.
No full textThe tension between tradition and modernity extends into African traditional architecture. The desire to become modern is pushing people to change from the climate suitable traditional houses found in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study sought to explore the influence of modernity on traditional buildings in Vittin, a peri-urban community in the Tamale municipality. Using focus group discussions and photography, the study explored some of the tradition-modernity tensions that exist in African traditional architecture. Although respondents associated identity and tradition with the round earth houses built in the past, they explained that in contemporary times urbanisation, status, economic issues, sustainability and the sense of belongingness were push factors for change. The research concludes that conscious effort needs to be made for earth constructed houses to be sustainable otherwise the technology will completely disappear and this may impact the traditional beliefs and practices of the people. It is proposed that there is the need to relook at traditional architecture to make them durable and sustainable and the indigenous knowledge and architecture of the people need to be documented.Keywords: African Architecture, Tradition, Modernity, Identity
Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals: Considerations for Household and Indoor Air Pollution in Nigeria and Ghana
No full text“Kingsway leads the way to modern living”: British Profit-seeking and Modernism in Ghana and Nigeria 1920–1970
No full textThis article examines the operative uses of modernist design by the Kingsway Stores, an elite department store chain active across West Africa. Kingsway responded to independence by instrumentalizing a particularly modernist domesticity through a series of didactic marketing efforts and the construction of boldly modernist new stores. While it was responding to African demands, this instrumentalization of modernist design was planned and executed as a business survival strategy: modernism is here revealed as complexly imbricated with colonial and neocolonial profit-seeking
The Volta River Project: planning, housing and resettlement in Ghana, 1950–1965
No full textThis paper investigates the housing schemes proposed in connection with the Volta River Project, Ghana, in the mid-1950s to early 1960s. The Volta River Project formed part of Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana’s modernisation and industrialisation in the wake of political independence. Three associated worker housing schemes demonstrated somewhat contradictory design and construction methods, from high specification, extensive amenities, and comprehensive servicing, through to self-build ‘core’ houses amounting to little more than single-room dwellings. The paper traces the complex and controversial history of these schemes, supplemented with findings of several field trips to the settlements in question, to unravel the value of the ‘Core Houses’ approach. The most successful project to incorporate indigenous agency and true collaboration was the semi-formal ‘Combined Area’ housing at Akosombo, a positive model for shared agency and collaboration in planning, housing, and facilities delivery. Sitting alongside the carefully manicured plan of Akosombo, with its regulated market, excellent health care and desire to set high standards of cleanliness, the Combined Area has not only provided homes for the lower-paid and labouring workers of the town, but has developed over time into a settlement where professionals and retired government workers are also now residing, not out of necessity but by choice. By actively developing their own homes, shared spaces and amenities there has developed a strong sense of ownership, community, and identity. The success and level of attachment to this settlement clearly extends beyond its material presence and through the shared experience of helping to cultivate a place of one’s own
Evaluation of Thermal Comfort in Library Buildings in the Tropical Climate of Kumasi, Ghana
No full textAdaptive comfort considerations and passive design are crucial in tropical, hot and humid climates where the straightforward response to discomfort in this climate, such as in Ghana, has been the adoption of air conditioners and mechanical cooling. This approach, along with following the provisions of current international comfort standards, has resulted in higher electricity demand and excessive emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This paper presents an adaptive thermal comfort field study in library buildings in the tropical Aw climate of Kumasi, Ghana considering naturally-ventilated (NV) and air-conditioned (AC) buildings. The proposed models in this study are compared with existing studies and current international standards. Using the Griffiths coefficient of 0.5, the mean neutral temperature of 27.4 °C and 30.3 °C were predicted for AC and NV mode, respectively. Although Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV) method overestimates the extent of changes in thermal sensation votes (TSV) by indoor operative temperature in AC mode, the neutral temperature predicted from PMV (27.8 °C) is analogous to the one estimated using TSV. The adaptive equations for Kumasi's hot and humid climate predict higher slopes of 0.17 K−1 and 0.41 K−1 in AC and NV modes, respectively, than the standards; this indicates that the Ghanaian respondents were more sensitive to the outdoor temperature changes. The average difference of 2.1 °C in AC mode and 1.8–3.3 °C in NV mode were estimated when comparing the proposed model with those in the international standard
Bio-stabilising earthen houses with tannins from locally available resources
No full textThis study presents the first-ever comparative evaluation of traditional biostabilisation practices for housing employed in Northern Ghana. Such a comparative evaluation is crucial in understanding and addressing the increased risk of flooding in the region due to a combination of climate change and land use changes. Given the environmental conditions and material availability that shape construction techniques in this area, it is imperative to assess the effectiveness of these practices in mitigating flood risks. The investigation focuses on readily available resources from the Wa and Tamale regions, specifically dawadawa (D), beini (B), and rice husk (R). These biostabilisers were subjected to rigorous testing to assess their efficacy. Earth mortar samples were created using sieved plain local soil (P) with or without the addition of rice husk, which is a local practice, and dawadawa and beini solutions were tested as a water replacement (+wD or +wB, added during material manufacture) or as a surface cover (+coverD or +coverB). The effects are examined in terms of microstructure modifications detected through tannins type and presence, SEM/EDS, water absorption via capillary uptake, and compressive and flexural strength for two different types of application: embedded in the mixture or covering the surface. Overall, solutions containing dawadawa were superior to those containing beini for the tested soil. Both coverD and +coverB decreased the water absorption capacity of the earth mortars and provided almost complete protection for 15 minutes. After three days, all mortars mixed with the dawadawa or beini solutions (P+wD, PR+wD and PR+wB) displayed lower absorption than the P material. Condensed tannins were identified in dawadawa, but only small precipitation in beini and no precipitation in the rice husk. This indicates that dawadawa has a greater degree of polymerisation (compared to rice and beini), developing a polymerisation tannin-iron complex in contact with oxygen from the air, which explains the macrostructure results. SEM/EDS results indicated polymeric condensed tannins and hydrolysable tannins and that complex accumulation and subsequent oxidation are the main reasons for improving water resistance. The laboratory tests, therefore, support the traditional methods of using dawadawa, beini, and, to a lesser extent, rice husk to improve the resilience of earthen houses and structures to water damage and can be used to encourage agro-industry in Northern Ghana to preserve and promote dawadawa and beini resources
