Ghana must shift to vertical development – Architech
Mr Louis Atongo, Managing Director of the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), has said Ghana should shift from the current horizontal planning to a vertical development.
He said the move would go a long way to save land and space as well as reduce Ghana’s housing shortfall which stands at 1.5 million.
Mr Atongo made the statement during the launch of the Ital Prestress and Construction Products (IPCP) Fair 2013 at the Burma Camp in Accra.
The three-day exhibition is on the theme: “Bridging the networking gap through creation of collaborative linkages in Ghana Real Estate and Infrastructural Development Industry”.
The fair which showcases products of companies involved in the infrastructure and real estate industry is aimed at providing unique and creative solutions to drive changes in the infrastructural industry.
Some companies at the exhibition are State Housing, Regimanuel Real Estate Ltd, IPCP Trasacco, Global lighting, Al Reyami Group, Interplast Ltd and Poly Tank Ltd.
Mr Atongo said though the landscape of Accra is filled with high rise buildings, there was the need for more to be done in terms of planning and execution of projects.
He called for a change from the horizontal level to high-rise buildings which would require a lot of technology from professionals who were in the construction sector.
He also charged real estate developers to develop affordable schemes for the various sections of the society.
Mr Ben Asamoah, President of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), said the infrastructure and real estate industry played an important role in Ghana’s economic growth and development thus contributing significantly to its GDP.
He called for continuous networking among the stakeholders to enhance linkages and the foster stronger collaboration.
He said GREDA would continue to collaborate with government and other stakeholders to attract more investment into the housing sector.
Mr Paul Shorrock, General Manager of IPCP, producers of Trasacco Fast Frame, said the primary aim for organizing the fair was to create a sustainable collaborative business linkage, execute valuable business deals, to educate the public on housing policies and to demonstrate technical knowledge through training workshops.
He said the exhibition would also create a good platform for fruitful exchanges on issues relating to the real estate and the infrastructure industry.
He said collaboration among stakeholders would help in upgrading the professionalism in the building industry and ensure that quality service was delivered to consumers.
Source: GNA