The Global Mamas' programme in Accra started on the 22nd June with a day workshop at the Hub Accra led by ASF-UK. This day brought together Global Mamas' staff, local built environment and development professionals with local and international architecture students to re-think spaces of textile production in ethical and sustainable ways.
The day started with Carrie Hawthorne from Global Mamas projecting a global picture of the current textile market and why fair trade was so important. The next session focussed on sustainable thinking and gave a platform for built environment professionals working in Ghana to showcase their work.
Samuel Siaw from Housing the Masses talked about scarcity of resources, Mae-Ling Lokko described how innovative processes could take local materials and develop new sustainable products, she also described the cultural heritage being lost in the globalisation of Accra. Steve Cole of Sustain Adinkra talked about the people centred approach, using local materials with local knowledge and nurturing experimentation is key to his work.
DK Osseo-Assare of Low-Do Office presented his thesis project in Tema exploring informal economies in relation to Free Trade Zones, he also showed a number of innovative bamboo structures recently completed and in the process of being constructed at various locations in West Africa.
Renae Adam, co-founder of Global Mamas, spoke about the history of the organisation and then explained the architectural brief in more detail. This was followed by a breakout session where teams brainstormed initial ideas and visions for the future production space. Ideas ranged from small scale design interventions such as partitions made from left over material to debating the challenges of creating a space that was ethical but competitive in a global market.
The last session focussed on ASF-UK methodology and the participatory design process that will be utilised to create inclusive spaces. The programme of the summer school was then explained and final comments noted. One of the significant points here was expressed by Stuart Gold founder of Trashy Bags who commented that we are not just selling a product we are selling a story and this new space is part of that story.
The day started with Carrie Hawthorne from Global Mamas projecting a global picture of the current textile market and why fair trade was so important. The next session focussed on sustainable thinking and gave a platform for built environment professionals working in Ghana to showcase their work.
Samuel Siaw from Housing the Masses talked about scarcity of resources, Mae-Ling Lokko described how innovative processes could take local materials and develop new sustainable products, she also described the cultural heritage being lost in the globalisation of Accra. Steve Cole of Sustain Adinkra talked about the people centred approach, using local materials with local knowledge and nurturing experimentation is key to his work.
DK Osseo-Assare of Low-Do Office presented his thesis project in Tema exploring informal economies in relation to Free Trade Zones, he also showed a number of innovative bamboo structures recently completed and in the process of being constructed at various locations in West Africa.
Renae Adam, co-founder of Global Mamas, spoke about the history of the organisation and then explained the architectural brief in more detail. This was followed by a breakout session where teams brainstormed initial ideas and visions for the future production space. Ideas ranged from small scale design interventions such as partitions made from left over material to debating the challenges of creating a space that was ethical but competitive in a global market.
The last session focussed on ASF-UK methodology and the participatory design process that will be utilised to create inclusive spaces. The programme of the summer school was then explained and final comments noted. One of the significant points here was expressed by Stuart Gold founder of Trashy Bags who commented that we are not just selling a product we are selling a story and this new space is part of that story.
