ArchXenus marks 15 years with more than 140 projects, launches GeneXus

Architecture firm ArchXenus has marked 15 years in practice with more than 140 projects, using its anniversary celebration to launch GeneXus, a book documenting 12 of its selected works, and to introduce initiatives aimed at strengthening its contribution to Ghana’s built environment.

The two-day celebration, held on 10 and 11 November 2026 at Christ Temple East in Accra, a building ArchXenus designed and whose construction it managed, featured the launch of the GeneXus book, the Xenus Impact Foundation and the African Urban Futures Conclave. It also brought architects and other stakeholders together to examine the future of cities, climate-responsive buildings, housing and investment in the built environment.

The firm is led by Nana Akua Oppong-Birmeh and Agnes Ofosu-Appiah, both Partners and Principal Architects at ArchXenus E and Co-Directors of the Xenus Impact Foundation. Both said the firm’s most significant achievement over the past 15 years was not simply the number of projects it had completed, but the people it had helped develop, and the model of partnership it offered, particularly to women building careers while managing family responsibilities.

“Just by virtue of our existence, so many people have found their feet, especially women. They have found the confidence to pursue their passion, to proceed into family life, and not worry about so many things, because we are modelling this and creating an opportunity for us to grow,” Nana Akua said.

“Being partners and running the firm together has taught us that there’s strength in numbers. We are both married women with children, so we have life happening as well as work that is ongoing. When one person is down or out, the other steps in. We complement each other, which allows us to work, see where the gaps are in the built industry, and provide solutions for them,” Agnes said.

The GeneXus book brings together 12 selected ArchXenus projects. Nana Akua said the publication was intended to strengthen the documentation of Ghanaian architecture and give students and practitioners local examples from which to draw inspiration, noting that many still relied on foreign publications despite the availability of projects designed and led by Ghanaians.

“This is an opportunity for people to gather inspiration right here, in our cities, in Ghana, designed and led by Ghanaians, with familiar names. In places where you can actually pick a cab, go and experience them, and get inspired,” she said.

Agnes said the African Urban Futures Conclave was conceived to address the fragmented nature of conversations in the built environment, where architects, engineers and other professionals often discussed issues within their own disciplines although the challenges facing cities required collaboration across sectors.

The full Conclave will take place in April 2027 and is intended to be held biennially, bringing stakeholders from Ghana and across West Africa together to exchange ideas, plan, make business connections and agree on practical actions. Ahead of it, ArchXenus has agreed a challenge with the Ghana Institute of Architects inviting architects to showcase solutions to the problems facing cities.

The Conclave is one strand of the newly launched Xenus Impact Foundation, which the partners established to give ideas room to grow beyond the firm’s commercial work and to serve communities through impact projects and corporate social responsibility. The Foundation works in four ways: publishing, through AX Press, which includes GeneXus; building, through impact projects; convening, through gatherings such as the Conclave; and showing, through exhibitions, including Time Space and Essence in Venice in 2027.

Nana Akua called for stronger coordination in the planning of Ghanaian cities, arguing that architects are commonly commissioned to work within defined plots even when the impact of a building extends beyond its boundaries.

“For an architect, you are usually given a defined plot of land to work with. You can think beyond it, but you can only work on that plot. Most cities that have developed have a vision for what they want to be, and that makes it easier for everyone to plug into that vision and let us have the kind of city that we all dream of,” she said.

Agnes raised concerns about the gap in housing provision for middle-income earners, saying Ghana’s housing deficit, commonly put at about 1.8 million units, persisted despite a visible construction boom that did not translate into options for people in that bracket.

“When you see a construction boom, it’s not for middle income. There’s a lot of luxury, and there are a lot of affordable housing schemes. But somewhere in the middle, there’s a gap. And the kayayei: when they arrive in Accra or whichever big city they go to, what buildings and what systems have we put in place for them?” she said.

The Foundation’s pilot impact project, CoSpace, responds to that gap, exploring how middle-income earners can afford dignified homes in established neighbourhoods closer to work and school rather than living far from both.

These concerns were among the issues explored on the second day of the celebration, 11 November, under the theme “Conversations & Connections”, a foretaste of the full Conclave.

The discussions connected the role of architecture to wider questions about the kind of cities people want to live in, including lessons from architectural practice in Ethiopia and the need to move beyond plans towards implementation.

Climate-responsive construction also featured prominently, with discussions on why green buildings matter and how they could be delivered at scale. A virtual address and moderated discussion on “Designing for Dignity” considered the human needs that should inform design, while conversations on moving from vision to delivery examined what is required to turn urban plans into practical outcomes.

The gathering also considered what makes urban projects investable, bringing questions of capital, business connections and collaboration into discussions about the future of cities.