Best Design and Architectural Company in Ghana: Key Architectural Company

Interview with Hussein Fakhry, Principal Architect & Managing Director of Key Architectural Company

First of all can you give us your overall assessment of the real estate and construction sector in Ghana? How has it been affected by the ongoing economic situation?

In general I am optimistic. I feel that because I come from Lebanon where we used to build amongst bombings and in war circumstances, I believe in always managing crises.
Ghana is a good place to do developments and to work in the business of construction and real estate because of the stable and peaceful environment. It is not a very fast growing economy where you can make a big turnover or a big return on investment but I, personally, think that if you do what you do well and correctly it can have a positive impact.

In real estate, if you do a good concept, a good design, in a good location and with the right scale you can achieve something excellent.

On the other hand in Ghana quality matters; even if you look at the small contractors or small real estate developers, you see that they are always trying to follow the trends in terms of quality and construction techniques.

You are also present in Ivory Coast, how does the Ghanaian market compare to the Ivorian market?

To be fair to Ivory Coast, you have to look at it over 12 years of war and instability. Today, in terms of techniques and construction trends, Ghana is more advanced.
Ivory Coast historically was a more advanced country in terms of development, infrastructure and city planning.

I hope that Ghana will be and will always be a leader, in the region, in the design and construction industry.

I hope that Ghana will be and will always be a leader, in the region, in the design and construction industry.

How long have you been in Ghana?

We have been here for twelve years.

Have you felt the effects of the current economic downturn on your operations?

Of course. Fortunately our projects are not financed by banks so we are not directly affected, but in general in a country where the purchasing power devaluate within a few months by 30 or 40%, of course you are going to note that there is fear of risk.

What does the Key Architectural Company bring to the market, whether in terms of design, project management, consultation etc.? How do you differentiate yourselves?

Since we started twelve years ago, we strategically focused on nice designs for the projects that we have been involved in and we have been looking at every single detail, knowing that good concepts cannot be achieved without hard work and serious attention to the different aspects or the project components (Architectural, Technical, Construction Feasibility and Financial Viability for sure), which definitely leads to serious Value Engineering exercises throughout the life span of the project.

We consider cultural imagination and reflection as a base for our designs and as a key to the unique styles that we propose.

Can you tell us about some of your current projects?

Right now we are working on a boutique hotel that will have 40 rooms. It is located in Aburi, which is a mountainous area about 45 minutes from Accra. We are also doing the following residential projects:

1. The URBAN Suites and Apartments, in OSU / Accra with a 6 million dollar budget.
2. INFINITY Luxury Apartments, in Labone / Accra with a 4 million dollar budget.
3. IRIS Boutique Apartments, in Airport Residential Area / Accra with a 13 million dollar budget.

We do a lot of administration and office buildings for private companies, industrial facilities, as well as private residences.

How do your future clients find you? Is it by recommendation or by some other form of publicity?

Part of it is through recommendation and part of it is through our marketing strategy. But mainly our projects have been our adverts and physical representatives on the ground, this is how we got our main clients.

Could you briefly tell us a bit about your Ivory Coast division?

We recently opened an office in Ivory Coast about two years ago. We had been doing business with Ivory Coast remotely. Now we have our office there and we are doing some projects which I think will be our kick off for that market.
They are projects in design, contracting and real estate development.

Can you tell us a bit about H&F Realty Ltd and Soho Realty Ltd?

In Key Architecture Company, in addition to the main design department, we have a team that look for opportunities and potential properties for development.
In brief this how it works:

1. We secure lands, we work on programs and concepts, we develop designs and we do the feasibility studies.
2. We look for potential investors.
3. We establish a legal entity for every project or property.
4. We start the development and business process.

Recently we have established H&F Realty Limited which is developing IRIS Boutique Apartments, a project in the airport residential area of Accra, and Soho Realty Limited which is developing THE URBAN a project in Osu / downtown Accra.

Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

In terms of design, I feel that we as architects, developers, builders, business people, have a big role or duty to protect the built up environment.

Design is the key factor to changing the business and development mentality in Africa, to make them more attractive, human and meaningful.

We all wish to do a lot of business and make significant profits but it is also essential to leave something positive behind. This can be done mainly by giving a lot of reflection and by working hard on the programs, concepts, designs and construction of our projects.
You can do a project but if you don’t give it the right time and dedication, you can leave behind a concrete jungle that will be out of interest on the long term. Projects should live and be used for a long time. Otherwise you will be doing something that will work for few years and when a new competitor project comes along, the result will be a dead spot in the city. Every building represents 80, 90, or 100 years of lifespan so it’s a big responsibility.

Are you implementing some environmentally friendly projects?

Yes. In the two projects that we are developing, IRIS and the URBAN, which we are the architects for and the builders as well as being partners in the 2 project, we are now trying to implement the use of solar panels and the reuse of grey water. We are implementing the treatment of grey water to be reused for flushing systems. We are implementing some of the possible aspects of the green buildings concepts because that arena is very large and there will be financial implications as well as technical limitations.
The most important thing is to create a building that is environmentally accepted in the city, in terms of look, style, social and urban impact and ease of use.

What we have noticed in this city is that there are not many high rise buildings.

Now high rise buildings are starting to come up. Ten years ago there were just two or three buildings in the whole of Accra with a maximum of 10 stories. Now you can see that the skyline of the city is starting to get developed which for me is a positive urban aspect.

What would be your final message to investors that are considering Ghana either in terms of real estate and construction or else in general?

Ghana is a good place to invest in. As I said, it is a long term investment; if you are coming to a country where you want to work for just 3 to 5 years to make some money and leave then it might not be the right place.

For me, long term investments are very important and very healthy. It is very important for me to be able to live where I’m investing and to be able to have my children living with me and sharing my experience.

FAIR USE POLICY
This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged.