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.
Description:
A DESSERTATION IN THE DEGREE OF WOOD SCIENCE AND
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY, FACULTY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION,
SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF
EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
BY
EMMANUEL TEKPE
(8171760021)