Ghana is touted as one of the fastest growing economies in the world by multinational organisations such as the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is due to the fact that the country discovered oil and gas in commercial quantities in 2007 which led to phenomenal economic growth and according to the World Bank GDP for 2012 reached 7.9 percent.
This has sparked a wave to undertake some infrastructural development projects in the areas of hotels, roads, among others, as many investors prepare to invest in the country and expect good delivery of services. Many international construction firms have taken note and have partnered with other Ghanaian firms to undertake projects in construction.
International construction firms have teamed up with local Ghanaian construction firms to undertake international projects thereby transferring international expertise to the local firms. Some of the success stories include Co-Arc International Architects and M. Barbisotti& Sons Limited.
M. Barbisotti & Sons Ltd
M.Barbisotti & Sons Ltd (MBS), an Italian company has been working in the building sector in Ghana for a good 50 years. The Barbisotti family, through commitment and great passion, has contributed to the development in the building sector and in other fields where it has been able to expand its activities.
MBS does not work only in the sector of civil, industrial and state building but, thanks to a constant growth and the great synergy with other subdued companies, has been able to establish itself in many other fields as well such as production of high quality aggregates used as building materials by the company itself to the realization of gardens, green areas and pools.
MBS is currently partnering withTekton Consult, a Ghanaian architectural company to construct the Labadi Beach Towers, as well as the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.
La Beach Towers
The construction of the La Beach Towers located on the shores of the most popular beach in Ghana, showcases the development of Ghana’s ocean front which has not witnessed development over the years. The development of La Beach Towers took into consideration the issues of rust and corrosion. In view of that the engineers and consultants took into consideration issues of humidity, salinity and wind speeds of the environment. Due to this, the selections of materials are based on non-corrosive and rust proof nature.
There are three towers expected to be completed in 2015, with the first tower, the Oceanic tower under construction. The Oceanic tower offers good viewing of the ocean, providing fresh healing breeze of air from the sea. The Oceanic Towers which will be Ghana’s first beach luxury apartment comes with a mix of three bedroom apartments with boys’ quarters(better known as ervant quarters) as well as four en-suite bedroom penthouses.
The apartments will also have four en-suite bedroom sky villas plus entertainment room, study and boys quarters, which will rival beachfront developments such as the Dubai’s Marina and India’s GC Grand.
Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel
MBS employing 700 Ghanaian workers also led the construction of the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Ghana, which officially opened in 2011. The 260-room Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel was originally built by the British government and presented to Ghana as a gift after Ghana gained independence.
The hotel merges the very best of modern excellence alongside original artwork from contemporary Ghanaian artists with stunning wooden carvings of animal, artefacts and design features.
The lobby’s striking chandelier and the rich hues and colours of the hotel’s tapestries and paintings evoke the magic and mystery of West African culture. This mesmerising collection of over 1,500 pieces of art adds to the unique quality of the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra. Majority works from the original hotel have been lovingly restored and displayed in the main lobby and behind the reception area.
The portrait of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, which dates back to 1956, are included, while two large murals are displayed at either end of the ballroom, superbly done, maintain the link of the hotel’s heritage. One of Ghana’s distinguished artists Kofi Antubam, one of the founders of Ghana’s National School of Painting, undertook the paintings. Each room has at least two original paintings by local artists and the corridors on each floor feature works from more of Ghana’s prominent artists.
Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra guarantees the ideal balance between work and play. A flexible 750 m2 ballroom can be sub-divided to requirements, while four meeting rooms are also equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment. Leisure facilities include two floodlit tennis courts, jogging track and a health and fitness centre offering cardio and weight training, sauna and massage rooms.
Co-Arc International Architects
Co-Arc International Architects was founded in 2005 after the partners of Meyer Pienaar Architects and Urban Designers and a group of young talented architects and designers in the practice came together to establish an international practise founded on collaboration and co-operation with other practices. Meyer Pienaar Architects has been known as one of the leading architectural and design firms in South Africa since the early sixties and the new practice now has operations around the globe.
Co-Arc as a Johannesburg based South African architectural practice with local and international associations brings together extensive experience in a broad field of architecture, particularly in civic facilities, urban design, hotel and resort developments, commercial apartments, low cost housing, industrial parks, corporate offices, educational facilities and private residences.
Around 2007, Co-Arc International Architects partnered with Ghana’s Orthner Orthner Architects to work on a number of projects in Ghana, including the design for the new IFC/ World Bank offices in Accra and the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
IFC/ World bank Offices
The design of the new IFC/ World Bank offices on a brownfields site in Accra , by Co-Arc International Architects in collaboration with Orthner Orthner Architects, gives an expression to an underlying approach to sustainable, green building. The articulation of the building makes reference to a modern take on cultural forms of expression. Additionally, the use of timber decking as shading and sunscreen reiterates the rich local flavour of the architecture.
The A-grade, green building depicting various symbols representing diverse Ghanaian heritage sits on a raised level in order to ventilate the entire surface of the courtyard in which a prominent tree acts as a focus to the entire building.
Incorporated in the environmental friendly design are the use of proximity lighting, use of solar water heating, use of recycled material in elements such as carpets, and recycled water- water is treated to potable standards. The development makes use of an energy recovery scheme , addressable variable refrigerant volume airconditioning, excellent shading and passive climate control and the first green roof in Ghana.
Bricks from the demolished houses were used to build a children’s playground, while indigenous trees were protected and the entire site planted to reduce heat island effects.
Labadi Beach Hotel
The scope of the project done in numerous phases entailed the refurbishment and extensions of the Labadi Beach Hotel, for Legacy Group Holdings. The renovation of 104 existing rooms and construction of new block consisting of 60 new rooms, including presidential suites, a SPA and a new 500 seat conference venue, all of these including the complete revamp of the central facilities needed to be completed while the hotel was fully functional.
The use of shingle roofs and timber detailing draws on the rich tradition of timber work in Ghana. New functional requirements such as air-conditioning, fire requirements and sprinklers have been carefully integrated into the existing buildings during the complete reconstruction of the interiors.
OrthnerOrthner Architects supervised the construction work for both projects.
The sophisticated projects have revitalised skills in an industry that has been quiet for some time and having experienced skills transfer, the local artisans are now able to work with modern materials. Some were trained on specialist waterproofing for the 1000m2 roof garden. The architects believe that Ghana Construction has the potential to grow further and there are number of projects that are still waiting for funding before they go on tender.