Browsing by Author "Sam-Awortwi, Fiifi Yasebi"

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    Energy efficient affordable housing, Krobo Odumase, Greater Accra Region.
    (2010-07-19) Sam-Awortwi, Fiifi Yasebi
    Housing is a basic human need and is thus addressed or confronted by people from all walks of life. In recent times, convenient or descent housing has become a prerogative of the rich and wealthy in society. This class form the minority with respect to the middle and the low income group. Governments worldwide always have housing on their development plans to address this unending need of man. The only obstacle faced is the issue of affordability. This spills out into many dimensions, from the cost of construction to its energy consumption which mainly constitute the running cost of the building. This has thus necessitated the need for a house that is inexpensive to acquire and has a low running cost, hence an energy efficient and affordable housing project. This design thesis addresses the issues involved in achieving an energy efficient affordable neighbourhood, through architectural and scientific interventions. It starts with the study of the target group and the site and the appropriate architectural intervention is employed. The issue of affordability is first tackled from the acquisition point of view which includes the cost of the building itself. Here, the judicious use of space is paramount as well as the type and qualities of the materials used. The energy efficiency which also cuts down on the running cost of the building is also first tackled with the use of passive lighting and ventilation. The physical and thermal properties of materials were also considered in selecting the most appropriate materials to best insulate or conduct heat into the building as required. A flexible mode of acquisition or payment has also been engineered to crown the whole project to make it a success.