Since many of the "Third World" countries fall within the tropical climatic zone, their students of architecture cannot afford extensive travel and so tend to accept the buildings around them as their only practical and tangible examples of synthesis of design and construction theory. There is need therefore for practicing architects to approach their design and construction problems with caution and from first principles. In this regard, interpretation of client's brief must be backed by a thorough knowledge of the social, historical and technological setting of the environment, even though very often this knowledge cannot be found in the required form in any existing literature. Our students in Kumasi have acquired it through carefully regulated curriculum the requirements of which have produced an impressive collection of data and documentation, which have proved immensely useful in the preparation of this book.

As most of the schools of architecture in the tropical Development Countries were founded on British or American systems their original curriculums were imported and, being unrelated to local experience, often produced disastrous consequences. Many of these schools have, ofcourse, modified their original syllabuses with good results but the Kumasi experience which has been well acknowledge is of significant interest.

It started with a modified syllabus of the Royal Institute of British Architects, which did not go far enough to achieve the objectives stated above. Consequently a new syllabus was devised in the early sixties which had as its basis studio programmers designed around integrated studios of communities as experienced by students at the end of the 2nd and 3rd years in given areas where they are obliged to stay for a two week period during the long vacation. The documentation that followed gives the students a comprehensive background to the following year's programme. While the junior year covers rural development the senior year deals with urban problems, but it is essential that both give the student the opportunity to design for the two main climatic belts of Ghana the hot dry climate of the northern savannah and the warm humid forest belt.

Through this approach, a majority of students experience, for the first time, traditional methods of construction and the range of options in materials and construction which will help them face the challenge of using local materials to save foreign exchange on certain imported building materials.

Modern materials and techniques have been applied increasingly in the tropics but often the results have been poor in quality and durability for both technical and social reasons, as well as being expensive. Traditional materials and techniques have depended, by their nature, upon locally available materials. Without any urge to try alternative solutions such construction has, perforce, been socially acceptable. The problem of durability has not always been of importance, as with materials to hand, a seasonal repair such as re-thatching has become part of the traditions.

However, with the growth of population and which external influence affecting people's lives, societies are changing. Also some traditional materials, such as timber are now being exported in increasing quantities for the much needed foreign exchange, and are therefore getting scarce in the savannah belt or expensive generally. The need for increase durability therefore has become important.

Although many books have been published on Building Construction, few are specifically concerned with the tropical environment. Lots of publications are also available on other aspects of the tropical environment, but it is rare to come across a literature which not only describes the technology, but also puts it in the social and historical setting for which it is intended.

Hannah Schreckenbach had been practicing architecture for 15 years in Ghana before joining the Department of Architecture at the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in 1975 as well as discovering at first hand the day-to-day problems encountered when putting up buildings in Ghana, she has, through extensive travel in West Africa acquired significant insight into the social needs of various problems. She has built upon this knowledge by extensive research.

"Construction Technology for the Tropical Developing Country" presents information essential to the building designer, through a comprehensive text and exquisite drawings, and puts it in context. It makes clear the variations in climate and hence in the living habits of the people in the tropical zone. Id describes traditional solutions to construction problems, and illustrates the positive and negative aspects of these techniques. It also provides a comprehensive range of alternative solutions, covering modern traditional materials where appropriate.

The emphasis on traditional constructions materials and techniques underscores the importance of the need for architects and builders in the tropics to search for local substitute for expensive imported materials which account for a substantial proportion of scarce foreign exchange resources in most of these countries. The student of Architecture and the practitioner will find this work to be an invaluable design tool.

"Construction Technology for a Tropical Developing Country" which had a small beginning as a Departmental Research programme under the leadership of Hannah has developed into a textbook, the outcome of Internatioal Technical Co-operation between the GTZ and the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.

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