The University of Westminster in the United Kingdom has conferred an Honorary Doctorate on Professor John Owusu Addo, the celebrated Ghanaian architect whose visionary designs have shaped much of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus. The award recognises his outstanding contributions to architecture, education, and sustainable design in Ghana and across the Commonwealth.

Prof. Owusu Addo holds a historic place in Ghana’s professional and educational landscape as the first Ghanaian architect. Born in 1928 in the then Gold Coast, he earned a scholarship in 1952 to study Architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic, the predecessor of the University of Westminster. Qualifying as an architect in 1958, he returned to newly independent Ghana, where he collaborated with Kenneth Scott to advance Tropical Modernism, a climate-responsive architectural style that blends cultural relevance with environmental sustainability.

In 1961, Prof. Owusu Addo was invited to design and construct landmark structures on the KNUST campus, including the iconic Unity Hall building, of which he also served as the first Hall Master. His architectural vision helped define the University’s distinctive built environment and academic identity.

As the first Ghanaian Head of the Department of Architecture, Dean of the Faculty in 1978, and later Pro-Vice-Chancellor until 1982, Prof. Owusu Addo played a pivotal role in securing Commonwealth recognition for KNUST’s architecture graduates, opening doors for them to practice across Commonwealth countries.

Beyond KNUST, he served as Chairman of the Commonwealth Board of Architectural Education (CBAE) and Board Chair for Education Research and Technology at the Africa Union of Architects. His exceptional work has earned him numerous accolades, including:

• Honorary Doctor of Science from KNUST (2002)

• Order of the Volta for outstanding service to Ghana (2005)

• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ghana Institute of Architects (2007)

At 97, his legacy continues to inspire. His designs were recently showcased in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence exhibition, which explored the movement’s role in post-independence Ghana.

Source: Adapted from the University of Westminster News, “Westminster awards Honorary Doctorate to pioneering architect Professor John Owusu Addo”.