Professor Samuel Amos-Abanyie
A Professor of Architecture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Samuel Amos-Abanyie, has raised concern over the growing impact of climate stress on indoor environmental conditions, warning that rising temperatures and humidity are making buildings increasingly uncomfortable and potentially harmful to occupants.
Delivering his professorial inaugural lecture at KNUST, Prof. Amos-Abanyie said climate change is significantly altering indoor environments, forcing greater reliance on artificial cooling systems and exposing gaps in building design and regulation.
His lecture, titled “Protecting Humanity from Itself: Indoor Environmental Quality in Era of Climate Stress,” emphasised that buildings must no longer be treated as passive structures but as active environments that directly influence human health and well-being.
He noted that while many buildings meet structural and legal standards, they often fail to guarantee acceptable indoor environmental quality (IEQ), leaving occupants vulnerable to heat stress, poor ventilation and discomfort.
“In the Ghanaian context, energy-efficient design strategies are not demonstrably required as part of the building permit acquisition process; thus, they are ignored or weakly applied in property development,” he stated.
Prof. Amos-Abanyie called for urgent reforms to ensure that indoor environmental quality becomes a central consideration in Ghana’s building and planning processes. He recommended that the Ministry of Works and Housing, in collaboration with institutions such as KNUST, incorporate IEQ monitoring into defect liability periods and occupancy certification systems.
He further proposed that the Energy Commission of Ghana work with academic institutions to develop national guidelines for Building Energy Performance Reports, which would form part of the building permit approval process.
The professor also advocated the establishment of dedicated IEQ units within metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to oversee environmental quality standards in planning approvals, development control and public education.
According to him, such measures are essential to ensure that buildings remain resilient and responsive to the pressures of climate change and rapid urbanisation.
Prof. Amos-Abanyie stressed that without deliberate action, worsening climate conditions could undermine the safety, comfort and productivity of people in homes, offices and public spaces.
He maintained that integrating climate-responsive design and indoor environmental monitoring into Ghana’s development framework would be key to safeguarding public health and improving overall quality of life.
