The now retired architect behind several Ghanaian state projects, including an addition to the National Parliament told me about the architect’s role in different types of projects throughout the post-Independance history.
Before 1957 the the colonial masters did the design whilst the local draughtsmen produced the working drawings. During the decolonisation there was a significant need for local qualified architects and local architecture schools were being established (such as KNUST in Kumasi) whilst the independence landmarks were still being designed by non-Ghanaians. After independence the sharp need was not only in architects, but in a whole range of construction and planning professionals: ‘To introduce the art of town planning to West Africa was a far-fetched proposition equivalent to teaching 12-tone music to a village choir’. (K. Nkrumah)
At present, there is a significant difference between designing buildings for government and for the private clients.
Architects working for private and corporate clients have little freedom to influence the building design after the initial, pre-tender proposal stage. Because of small fees, architects only produce the main plans, sections and elevations, subject to later detailed modifications by various post-tender subcontractors. Buildings often end up being different to the expectations of the architect, who, at times is not even permitted to attend the site.
On government projects, the architect is expected to know and design buildings down to every small fixing detail. The fee-payment system is structured to accommodate architects participation as a ‘referee’ of the building process, who has to sign off every part of work to be excepted. On larger projects, there are site-based ‘resident’ architects, who permit cost reduction through their inventive use of available resources in the immediate situations on the ground.
Overall, there is an ongoing overshadowing of the architect’s role by that of a project manager, and Mr Kudzo Bansah feels that ‘we should hold onto our role rather than giving it away on a silver plate’.
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