African Design Magazine December 2014 | Page 97

Architect profile JOE ADDO AND CONSTRUCTS R+D Constructs R+D is dedicated to fostering collaborations with creative Professionals in developing sustainable solutions to Affordable Housing, Community/ Neighborhoods, Planning, Educational Infrastructure prototypes, alternative Construction Materials and Product Design amongst others. The Constructs R+D design approach is not a rehash of imported unsustainable solutions, which is often the norm, but rather a contextual response of a blend of the vernacular matched with contemporary architecture and planning principles. This is what Joe Addo has termed the ‘inno-native’™ approach. Since his return to Ghana, Addo has committed his practice to the exploration of local materials, both natural and man-made, and practices. He has explored the use of Bamboo, Pozzolana, Laterite, amongst other local materials. The Addo house in Accra became a prototype for these explorations, using bamboo, “My vision is to redefine my role as a design professional within the African context. I am a ‘DESIGN SOCIO-ECONOMIST. Ultimately it is all about people.’” africandesignmagazine.com 97