Ms Ash Hassan
We are often asked to imagine life without people, life without buildings, even life without cars. But how about a world without architects?
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I believe life without the creative works of the architect would not enable us to enjoy the beautiful low and high-rise buildings which are gradually changing the skylines in Ghana and across the world.
One lady who finds herself in this male-dominated profession is Ms Ash Hassan. Though young, she is so passionate about her profession and is gradually leading a crusade to get more women in this field.
“Women spend more time at home than their male counterparts. They know exactly what it takes to make a home, so why not encourage more females to build and design these homes,” asked Ms Hassan who was sharing her life with The Mirror as a female currently working in the building and construction sector.
According to her, many times, when architects are mentioned, what comes to the mind of most people is someone who designs buildings and fills out the paperwork for the approval of buildings. She explained that their work goes beyond this perception.
“Architects help you design your dream house with the budget you have. It is as simple as that. They negotiate the costs of all building materials and manage the construction on site. More importantly, they ensure that your building is built correctly and that it is safe to live in,”she explained.
Women nonexistent in architecture
According to her, if you were to search for the top 10 architects, construction companies and building engineers, you would find yourself in the masculine, testosterone-fuelled world of construction, where females make up a mere one in every 10-worker.
With women playing such a heavy role in the day-to-day activities of the household, ultimately spending more than six hours at home, compared to their male counterparts, why are women virtually nonexistent in this sector?
“These are questions we ask ourselves at Messent & Architects. We know that Ghana’s population is more skewed towards women, (albeit one per cent more than males), and so we actively go out of our way to hire and encourage more females into the field”, she said.
Who is an architect?
An architect is someone who loves to design, and is specifically trained and licensed to work on the planning and designing of buildings.
The facets of an architect's role are as varied and fascinating as their work. They are professionals who lead the process of creating functional spaces, from concept and design to a full realisation of those designs.
It is also an art that works hand in hand with science to design places where people can live, eat, work and play.
As a leader of various projects, from something as small as extending your house with an extra bedroom or to something as large as a hospital, college campus, or an entire neighbourhood, the role of an architect is to bring together the creative ideas and visions of the client and keep in mind the needs of those that will be using the new space.
Asked what architecture means to her practice, she stated that it is simple. For Messent & Architects, a building speaks a thousand words. It encapsulates culture. It emanates art. It conveys literature and enhances an individual’s experience to their environment.
Women in Architecture
Being the head of Marketing and Strategy at Messent & Architects and having studied the field, Ms Hassan constantly draws inspiration from phenomenal women in the architectural sector with the likes of Zaha Hadid, whose futuristic creations won her the bid to design the Qatar Football Stadium for the 2022 World Cup and Kazuyo Sejima, a Japanese architect who has been accredited for the design of the Rolex Learning Center in Switzerland.
“For us, architecture is the most visually cultural and historical component that exists. Just like the Pyramids speak to Egypt, skyscrapers to New York and ancient monasteries to China, we design buildings that aim to capture the true essence of our clients projects,” Ms Hassan said.
Why should architecture be important to women?
Women generally love fashion and anything that is attractive and beautiful; so is architecture intrinsically intertwined with fashion.
“Some of the world’s most famous architects have created seamless designs for a number of retail fashion brands and haute couture designers, she pointed out.
Among some of these international designers are Mark Newson for G-Star; Zaha Hadid for Adidas and Frank Gehry for Louis Vuitton.
“When it comes to health, architecture has a direct impact on our health in several ways”, she said, adding that the medical establishment has proven that the mind can be healed. This is known as “the placebo effect.”
Delving further into the health impact of architecture, she stated that studies have shown that our surroundings and environment can have a direct effect on our mental state; the study of which is known as environmental psychology.
Besides, “doctors in the USA and UK are focusing on creating ‘Optimal Healing Centers’ as we can use buildings and the environment to heal people quicker.
Stress can be reduced and mental health improved by ensuring that where possible, users of the space can have direct control over it.”
Identity
Throwing light on identity, she said how a building is designed and regarded comes down to the individual. It defines who we are and we are currently living in a society where although women comprise the majority, when it comes to corporate decision making, we are immensely unrepresented.
“So designing buildings stands as the most prominent form of representation and can further tackle the issue of inequality in this sector. It takes one little girl to know a woman built that building and soon it will inspire many. For a city, architecture is the clothes it wears to the job interview,” she stated.
What Messent Architects provide
Messent & Architects is a Ghanaian-owned company with Mr Jeffrey Messent as the Director, while Ms Ash Hassan is the Associate Director.
Mr Messent was born in Winneba and his father is English, while his mother is a Ghanaian and a Fante (hence the name Messent).
Working together as a team of 15 with offices both in Ghana and London, they are involved from start to finish and project manage single residential houses and multi-residential complexes.
Basically, Messent & Architects acts as the clients’ mouthpiece. They encourage a bidding system amongst construction companies to ensure they save you money.
“We project manage the entire building to ensure the project is delivered on time and in the right manner and quality,” she stressed.
Who is Hassan?
Ms Hassan, who has had a long love for marketing, decided to mix her passion for history and architecture and joined Messent & Architects as Head of Marketing Strategy.
The outfit is made up of a team of professionals and they have properties situated around East Legon in Accra.
Her company has keen interest in using local resources to create employment and also pump capital into the economy. “Architecture is not just for the rich; great architects are those who work with the clients’ budget, no matter how big or small,"she said.
Ms Hassan who has a mixed parentage was born in London. She had her education at the Central Foundation Girls School, City and Islington College and University of Kent in Canterbury respectively.
“University of Kent will always have a place in my heart; it has produced some top-class architects over the decades and more importantly, it was where I met my fiancé, who I will be tying the knot with before the end of the year here in Ghana,” she giggled.
She loves eating banku and okro soup and has an eye for fashion.“Fashion works hand in hand with architecture,” she mentioned.
Ms Hassan also believes that "it is everyone's dream to build or buy a house. Therefore, with the current deficit in housing, as a team, we have decided to design good homes for people no matter the budget."