Asante Traditional Buildings

09/06/2026

304 likes, 6 comments. “Asante Traditional Buildings”

02/06/2026

The Department of Architecture, KNUST, in partnership with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) and CRAterre, has officially launched the E.A.R.T.H. Student Competition under the Heritage and Earthen Architecture Resilience Project.
The competition challenges architecture students to design a contemporary earthen building that will serve as the future Ashanti Regional Headquarters of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board at the Kumasi Cultural Centre.

The initiative forms part of a broader regional effort to strengthen capacity in heritage conservation, sustainable construction, and climate-resilient architecture across West Africa.
Bringing together over 170 students, faculty members, and industry partners, the launch introduced participants to the opportunities and challenges of designing with earth as a sustainable building material while responding to real-world heritage, environmental, and community needs.

Speakers from KNUST, CRAterre, and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board highlighted the importance of innovative, context-sensitive design solutions that celebrate local materials, cultural identity, and climate-responsive architecture. Students were encouraged to view the competition as a unique platform for professional growth, hands-on learning, and meaningful engagement with one of Ghana’s significant heritage sites.

The E.A.R.T.H. Student Competition represents more than a design challenge but also an opportunity for the next generation of architects to contribute to the future of sustainable architecture while preserving and reimagining Ghana’s rich cultural heritage.

28/05/2026

The aluminium roofs of buildings such as the Bodwease Asante Traditional Building are largely post-colonial features and are therefore not historically accurate representations of traditional Asante architecture. This made reroofing necessary in order to restore the buildings in line with ancient Asante architectural styles.

At the Bodwease Asante Traditional Buildings, reroofing works began with the removal of the aluminium roofing sheets from the structure. The old wooden framework was also dismantled and replaced with new treated wood.

The building’s gables were subsequently raised to create a steep roof elevation, while grass thatch was identified as a more historically accurate and sustainable roofing material.

This steep architectural feature is said to portray the might and status of the owners. It also ensures efficient drainage by allowing rainwater to flow down easily through gravity without being trapped within the grass-thatch roofing material.

05/05/2026

A brief introduction to the Asante Traditional Buildings by Mr. Bernard Agyiri Sackey, the then Head of the Monuments Division of the Ghana Museums & Monuments Board.

Observation on the Community-based inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements of the Asante Traditional Buildings of Ghana

20/04/2026

One key feature of the Asante Traditional Buildings (ATBs) is the bas relief features. The Asantes used to make these mural decorations of Adinkra symbols on their walls. These Adinkra symbols decorate the walls of the ATBs, each having their own meaning.

One popular symbol is ‘Owuo Atwedeɛ’, which means the ladder of death. In Asante lore, this means one does not climb the ladder of death, and that everyone would die.

This and many other Adinkra symbols, each with their own unique design, name and meaning, can be found on the walls of the ATBs.

Unfortunately, these mural decorations, which are made of clay, sometimes give in to atmospheric conditions, causing them to crack and sometimes break off.

That is why Ghana Museums and Monuments Board - Ashanti Region collaborated with an expert from International Centre on Earthern Architecture (CRATerre) and the members of the local communities to work on the repair and restoration of damaged murals.

01/04/2026

April 11, 2025, marked a turning point for the Bodwease Asante Traditional Building, ushering in a renewed vision for its conservation. Central to this new outlook was the decision to replace the existing corrugated iron roofing with a more culturally appropriate thatch roofing system, in line with traditional Asante architectural practices.

This vision was conceived during a visit by Arc. Stephen Battle, Senior Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the World Monuments Fund, together with Mr. Francis Kwarayire, Conservator/Ashanti Regional Director of GMMB, and Madam Cynthia Adangabey, Regional Administrator at the GMMB Office.

The visit laid a strong foundation for mobilizing resources toward a research-based restoration of the site. It also built upon earlier efforts by the World Monuments Fund, which had supported a comprehensive documentation mission in 2013, aimed at informing the development of a management plan and a long-term restoration strategy.

08/12/2025