Architects are using their craft to give Ghana an optimistic narrative fit for the 21st century. Can they ‘ignite the ambition of a country’?

Writer: Ed Stocker

World Bank / IFC Building

We are really proud to be part of it!

Our World Bank/IFC Head office building in Accra, which we did with Co-Arc International Architects and ARUP really deserves to be included!

Mr Daniel Krull, German Ambassador to Ghana on his part commended the government for its transformation agenda which included the digital drive to make GRA a top government institution.
He expressed the hope that the centre would serve as a motivation for staff to put in more effort to efficiently and effectively collect the needed tax.
Ms Rosemary Orthner, a member of Orthner & Orthner & Associates, architects for the project said the centre was carefully designed to serve its purposes while taking into consideration Ghana’s climate and environmental issues.

 Setting the standard for sustainable and affordable buildings in Ghana.

 An introductory look into seven African women in architecture and the work that they are bringing to the table. 

For three generations of women born between Ghana’s independence in 1957 and the turn of the century, architecture has served as an unparalleled incubation platform for worldforming possibilities.

The Legon City Lofts is a beautifully crafted piece of architecture that gives a Eurocentric feeling but at the same time responds to the demands of its tropical context.

Business News from ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA
Austrian Embassy, Commercial Section.

OOA is featured in this years edition of Domus 50 best architecture firms 2020, with the focus on identifying the world's 50 most creative, interesting and promising emerging architecture practices! We are very excited to be picked and to be amongst the very few chosen from Africa...

Legon City Lofts was featured as the "Project of the Month" in the Architect's Newsletter, Ghanas first architectural journal.

As in many other places in Accra, original structures and settlements are sold to developers and the life and charm of these "villages" in the city are lost forever. ELPF analyzes Abotsiman in East Legon, its history and its people and is a basis for designers and planners to revive such structures.

A joint project between [applied]
Foreign Affairs, loA, Institute of Architecture - University of Applied Arts Vienna and orthner orthner & associates.

Accras leadership trom the property sector at "Build and Brand Green with EDGE." Developers, banks, architects and the government came together to share their commitments to EDGE.

East Legon Past Forward is a project
investigating the spatial, socio-cultural,
and migratory characteristics of
Abotsiman, one of the few remaining grown
neighbourhoods of East Legon, Accra, and
the implications of urban transformation on
it. East Legon Past Forward is a joint project
between [applied] Foreign Affairs, Institute
of Architecture, University of Applied Arts
Vienna and Orthner Orthner & Associates.

The new Art Space for Nubuke Foundation finally completed! Architects Baerbel Mueller & Juergen Strohmayer in collaboration with OOA.

KNAUF Ghana was organizing the first of its kind competition in Ghana. OOA's  Akosua Obeng was the Head Judge. The students were judged on criteria including economy of design, functionality, ventilation, internal design, timing and construction.

Topic of the summit, held at the International Conference Center in Accra was "The case for sustainable buildings in Africa, for effective climate actions in cities". Akos Obeng was one of the speakers and was talking about "Local Solutions for an Innovative African Architecture"

Akosua Obeng and the Winners of the Edge Competition at Joy FM

Legon City Lofts won the award for best residential townhouse development at the "City Construction and Property Awards". A big thanks to the whole team!

Exclusive interview with Rosemary Orthner.

The GIA World Architecture day event held at the Legon City Lofts in Accra on Monday 07.10.19. A truly inspiring event graced by the presence of the Minister for Works and Housing, Fellows, Council, and over 200 members of the GIA and other allied professional as well as architecture enthusiasts.

Rosemary Orthner was speaking at the World Architecture Day event about her own Legon City Loft project.

The EU Green Week in Accra ended with a round table discussion at Alliance Francaise in Accra.

Akos Obeng was interviewed about Resource Efficient Buildings at our Legon City Lofts for a new series about green buildings on Joy TV

Students from Kaneshie Kingsway Cluster of Schools have participated in a workshop promoted by Orthner and Orthner Associates, dedicated to “designing for the future”. After leaving the OOA workstation, we hope to have given the children a basic understanding of green buildings and green building materials with a focus on bamboo. The exercise with bamboo straws is to expose them to alternative materials and help think differently about the use to space space and their environment.
They have designed greener buildings for a brighter future! 

Akosua Obeng was on Joy Prime news talking about affordable housing in Ghana and why a real affordable house should be build with local, sustainable materials.

Akosua Obeng was invited in todays breakfast show on Class91.3fm to talk on what makes a building "green"

Finally the winners of the EDGE Architecture Students Competition, organized by orthner orthner & associates in collaboration with IFC EDGE were announced.

The overall objective of the EDGE Student Competition is to demonstrate how buildings can
be more profitable while easing their impact on the environment.

Our World Bank / IFC building in Accra got the Edge Certificate for its outstanding green building measures.

Akosua Obeng, Partner at OOA was in the panel at the Ghana Green Building Summit. The Summit, which was held on June 13, 2019 at the Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City gathered 155 stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities within the green building space.

60 nations and over 650 participants explored the future of building at the "Future of Building 2019 | Congress" in Vienna in June. Ghana was represented by Rosemary Orthner, who led a delegation of 9 Ghanaian architects to the event. In the African Panel, Rosemary explained the challenges of the Ghanaian market and the importance of sustainable architecture for the responsible development of our future in Ghana. The congress was accompanied by workshops and excursions to the full satisfaction of all participants.

Rosemary and Martin were invited to talk at the first ASAG Design Talk at KNUST Architectural Department in Kumasi.

Other Speakers were Ibrahim Mahama, Stephen Morgan and George Buma.

OOA & GOPA Infra won the tender to design and construct a new building for the Ghana Revenue Authority to accommodate the Learning and Development department to improve IT and software skills for the entire staff of the institute.

Now it is official!
Rosemary Orthner is the new Honorary Consul of Austria in Ghana.
Since October 16, 2018 the consulate has reopened in the office of OOA in East Legon!
She is assisted by her husband, Martin Orthner as Vice Consul!

Industry Business Africa 
September 2016 
Published:           Architects with focus on a greener Ghana

Construction Review Magazine
May 2015
Published:              OOA Striving for Excellence 
Feature Interview

Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture
Published: OFFICES FOR THE WORLD BANK & IFC
Completed 2013, Accra, Ghana
Associate: CO-ARC INTERNATIONAL, Johannesburg, ARUP