Architectural Heritage Preservation: An Application of Historic Building Quality Assessment Criteria for World Heritage Sites in Ghana

Abstract

Ghana is home to several World Heritage Sites, including the Forts and Castles and the Asante Traditional Buildings (ATBs). The Forts and Castles were constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries and are situated along the coast from Keta to Beyin, whereas the ATBs were constructed in and around Kumasi in the 16th century. These historically noteworthy structures, which were built using a variety of materials, have withstood the test of time and constitute an important part of Ghana's architectural legacy. These heritage sites are currently evaluated using the opinions of experts. A standard for the efficient evaluation of the building fabric must be established in order to guarantee the timely and efficient preservation of these heritage assets. Using an interpretivist methodology, this study reviews the literature to theoretically investigate current standards for evaluating heritage structures. According to the literature research, there is little information available about the standards used to evaluate Ghanaian heritage sites in order to enhance the preservation of the country's architectural legacy. In order to properly evaluate the state of Ghana's World Heritage Sites, this study suggests using the Historic Building Quality Assessment Criteria (HBQAC). The required authority can create rules for the prompt restoration of historic structures and sites using the HBQAC grade values.