The Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, yesterday inducted David Adjaye Obe, one of the world’s most celebrated architects, as a registered licensed member of the Architect Registration Council (ARC) to legally practice in Ghana.
The long-awaited induction ceremony comes after the ARC, the regulatory body for the architectural profession, completed the processes per its mandate, to ensure that the global icon in the architectural industry can practice as a licensed architect in the country.
Speaking at the induction ceremony in Accra, the Works and Housing Minister said Sir Adjaye’s admission into the licensed Architects Register of the ARC will guarantee the required worldwide networking benefit in both theory and practice to other registered members within the architectural industry.
“With Sir Adjaye’s acclaimed reputation as a result of his uncompromising stand on high design standards in the architectural space, I believe that his licensed membership of ARC will be another feather in the cup of the Council,” he indicated.
He said the obligation of the ARC is to deliver standards and services that demonstrate and reinforce architecture as a noble profession within the building and construction industry.
Innovation
The sector Minister therefore urged professionals in the country’s built environment to explore and change the status quo by generating with innovative design proposals to solve challenges, especially within the affordable housing space.
He noted that architecture has the potential of being used as a catalyst to overturn the economic fortunes of the country as evident in almost all advanced countries and emerging economies.
Receiving the annual practicing certificate for 2022, the Board Chairman of the ARC, Richard Nii Dadey, congratulated Sir David Adjaye for fulfilling all requirements for the issuance of a practicing licence in Ghana, and admission on to the standing register in conformity with the Architects Act 357.
He expressed optimism about the inductee’s ability to use innovation to improve the environment and lives as well as respond to future inevitable challenges within the architectural industry.
Gratitude
For his part, Mr Adjaye expressed his gratitude for being conferred with the honour to practice in the country. He hoped that his admission as a certified practitioner in Ghana will inspire the new generation in the architectural space in the country.
The inductee owns the Adjaye & Associates, a firm which is globally known for its innovative and complex architectural masterpieces all over the world. He has a National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, USA, which has won several architectural awards. He also owns the Ruby City/Linda Pace Galley in San Antonio, Texas, USA and the 130 William Street Tower in New York, USA, which is under construction.
Other firms include the Holocaust Memorial in London, United Kingdom; the Hallmark Tower in Johannesburg; the World Bank Headquarters, Dakar, Senegal; Alara in Lagos, Nigeria; the Hugh Masekela Pavilion in South Africa and the ongoing National Cathedral in Accra.
