An Architect and Chief Executive Officer of Spektraglobal, a Tema-based architecture firm, William Evans Halm, has urged government to implement the 100 Resilient Cities project of which Accra is a member with all seriousness.
Mr. Halm, who was speaking to citinewsroom.com on the sidelines of a media engagement about the importance of architecture not only for individuals but for the country as a whole, said Accra seriously needs such planning to survive threats occasioned by urbanization.
The 100 Resilient Cities is an initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation started in 2013, to help more cities build resilience to physical, social, and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century.
Cities in the 100RC network are provided with the resources necessary to develop a roadmap to resilience along four main pathways.
These are financial and logistical guidance for establishing an innovative new position in city government, and a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the city’s resilience efforts, expert support for development of a robust Resilience Strategy; access to solutions, service providers, and partners from the private, public and NGO sectors who can help them develop and implement their Resilience Strategies; and Membership of a global network of member cities who can learn from and help each other.
“I know Accra has signed onto the 100 Resilient Cities, and I think we should take it very serious; and we all trust that it is something that will be implemented; because if it is implemented, it will be a fantastic thing. As more people migrate into cities, cities are becoming destabilized; we are getting too much traffic, issues of water supply, waste management issues and network connection issues; and so looking at these Resilient Cities is something that is laudable; and I would want to see it rolled out, and it will be very beneficial for us as a people” Mr. William Evans Halm said.
Mr. Halm said the resilient cities concept requires the input of local architects who should be engaged by government and individuals. According to him, architects are very critical to the building of cities in the most sustainable way.
“It is very crucial that we engage architects right from even the planning stage. It’s no more the architect just doing a building, but the architect looking at the city; and looking at the whole infrastructure that come with city development; so it’s important that as a people, as a country, we appreciate architects right at the inception and the decision making stage, so that these strategies are incorporated right into city planning to even have certain codes and regulations that can regulate the way we’re building now even though we’ve building codes” Mr. Halm noted.
Mr. William Evans Halm also urged individuals to make use of architects by overcoming various misconceptions about the profession, saying there are immense benefits from such services.
“Also for individuals, it’s about time that we appreciate that using architects are beneficial to us. If you have a building that collapses, what is the cost of getting an architect for a fee against rebuilding the whole building? And also there’s the final issue of value that you get, which if you went on your own, you will miss out on that value”.
About Spektraglobal
Founded by architects William and Karen Halm in 2010, Spektra Global is a design and build professional firm providing architectural, interior design and build as well as construction management services for corporate institutions and private individuals in Ghana.
Spektra, which has done jobs for entities like Airtel [Now Airtel-Tigo], the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority among other organizations and individuals, prides itself in providing innovative architectural and interior designs to ensure that client needs are exceeded, while maintaining world class practices.
Spektra has been involved in the design and build of offices, commercial facilities, religious buildings, educational and civic facilities, residential and accommodation facilities as well as the master planning of some prestigious estates and educational complexes.
Spektra currently has 23 permanent staff, with fluctuating numbers of casual workers depending on projects at hand.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie|citinewsroom.com|Ghana
