Award Instituted At KNUST In Honour Of The Late Architect

An award scheme in memory of the late David Wilberforce Kwami Dawson, one of the pioneer architects in Ghana has been instituted at the Department of Architecture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
 
Under the scheme, the overall best student in the undergraduate and masters' level will receive GH¢100 and GH¢200 respectively as their prizes.
 
A scholarship scheme will also be instituted under the scheme to support deserving architectural students of KNUST.
 
Mrs Mercy Afi  Dordunoo, the daughter of the late Dawson, announced this at the launch of the scheme at KNUST in Kumasi last Friday.

She said the scheme which will take off this year, will be an annual affair, and that a fund will be created and manned by a three member board of trustees.
 
'The Dawson family will also like to make some scholarships available for the benefit of students towards masters' research programme in the near future because our father's greatest passion was rural housing development and cottage industries and the award will reflect that', she hinted.

He mentioned a number of architectural designs credited to the late Dawson, among them are, the design of the Baiden Powel Memorial Hall, Accra Scouts Complex, and a few of the Captain Cinema Halls as well as the city furniture building, all in Accra.
 
Mr  Dordunoo said, he also designed the Photo-Finish Tower at the Accra Turf Club Race Course at Osu, the residence of the late Sylvanus Olympio, former President of Togo and also instrumental in the sitting of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra.

Prof Samuel Opare Larbi, who represented the president of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), called on Ghanaian Architects to have a quest for African identity when ever they are drawing (designing).

 He is not happy about the rate at which Ghanaians are designing glass houses at the time when the country is running out of resources.

Professor Larbi, also a fellow of GIA appealed to architects to design houses which are modest, cost effective and have a longer life span as the Late Dawson did.

 Prof Seth Opuni Asiama, Provost of the College of Architect announced that the college has been given a five year accreditation by the Commonwealth of Nations and that it was the first time the Department had been recognized internationally.

 Prof John Owusu Addo, also a pioneer architect. Who was the Chairman for the occasion, urged the students to work hard to uplift the name of the profession.

He congratulated Prof Osei Kwame Agyemang on his election as the president of GIA, but was unhappy that none of the architects were honoured at the Presidential Awards in 2008.

The gathering was attended by some family members and the children of the late Dawson as well as students and other stakeholders.
    
A minute silence was observed in memory of the late pioneers of the noble profession.