活动名称：木艺木趣国际研讨会暨展览会
时间地点：2011年10月20日，印度班加罗尔J N Tata多功能礼堂
演讲嘉宾：Emmanuel Appiah-Kubi
演讲题目：Wood for housing in Ghana: Why the low interest?

摘要：Timber, a renewable natural resource, has structural, non-structural and decorative advantages as a housing material. In Ghana, the use of timber for the construction of houses has faced many challenges in recent years. Existing timber houses constructed tens of years ago and are still standing, attest to timber's durability and its potential as a housing material. The call and desire for housing construction using timber has not been realized. This paper therefore reviews and highlights the reasons why there is low interest in the use of timber for housing in Ghana. Interviews and semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the general public, timber processing firms and timber-constructed households. Data were analysed using a descriptive statistical method. Overexploitation of timber in reserves, lack of design and detailing, and the inadequate expertise and skilled tradesmen in the timber construction industry are some of the technical reasons that account for the low patronage of timber for housing in Ghana. The public indicated some psychological reasons such as timber would be consumed easily by fire, and wood‘s susceptibility to insect attack and decay. There is also the perception that wooden houses are for the poor and those who cannot afford other materials such as concrete and steel. More research needs to be conducted to enhance the use of timber in housing through efficient processing methods, increased value-addition to wood products and advanced techniques in the timber housing industry. More expertise and skill tradesmen in timber construction need to be trained. Education and sensitization of the general public on accepting wood as a housing material needs to be promoted.

Emmanuel Appiah-Kubi, Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, PO Box UP 63, KNUST, Kumasi, GHANA.