Sustainable affordable housing delivery in Ghana focusing on appropriate design and technology

Abstract

Housing undoubtedly remains one of the essential needs of man among food and clothing from creation. From the Paleolithic era, interventions for housing delivery have been a challenge and still remain unresolved and fallen short in demand in the world, especially in the developing countries like Ghana. From pre- and post- independence several interventions and researched has been done by many researchers to resolve the housing provision challenges that existed in the country, nevertheless this seemly solutions to resolve the housing challenges in the country does not tackle the issues of home or domestic grown solutions. Furthermore, these solutions had in fact culminated into severe negative impacts and catastrophes on the environment and economic life of people, because these interventions and solutions are not domestic based solutions to support housing sustainability and are therefore not affordable to the average income earners to afford. To address the issues of affordability is therefore a necessary condition towards housing sustainability. Yet housing affordability is not enough, because the so-called affordable houses cannot be considered sustainable if they create negative impacts on the environment, or on the social life, hence the need to marry housing affordability with sustainability, and provides sure solutions for their implementation. This study presents the major factors or challenges to sustainable and affordable housing delivery in Ghana, it‟s also seeks to find the local available building materials that are potentials for sustainable affordable housing in Ghana. It finally attempt to presents the innovative solutions to resolve housing challenges through the questionnaire survey, interviews and observation such as appropriate technologies (Hydrafoam, Local Modular and efficient Eco-affordable, Adobe bricks, I-section floor beams-trassacco floors, Compressed earth, Rammed earth technologies etc.), local materials (Clay pozzolana cement, Clay bricks, Unburnt clay bricks, Bamboo, Stones, Wood, Land crete blocks, Laterite, thatch etc.) and good designs qualities to achieved appropriate or alternative designs for sustainable housing and development in Ghana (Designs that must always be economical and socially sustainable, Must based on locally or community strategies, Must uses renewable resources, Must encourage cyclic construction process instead linear construction processes, Must encourage conservation of scarce materials, Must encourage the uses smaller but portable designs, Must encourage the use of solar energy systems, Must encourage the renovation of old buildings etc.). Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean and tables presentations was used to summarize information or results from respondents. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was also adopted to establish the major problems associated with the existing housing delivery schemes in Ghana, and good housing designs qualities for the achievement of sustainable affordable housing in Ghana. The Analysis of variance one way ANOVA was used to establish the relationships between construction firms in Ghana and their designs, technologies, and materials adopted for construction of housing and relationships of respondents and their awareness on the housing sustainability and affordable in Ghana to promote sustainable development.