ICIDA 2017 - 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA - 12-14 April 2017, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana 436 Conference Proceedings www.icida.knust.edu.gh ANALYSIS OF ORNAMENTATIONS IN MODERNIST AND POSTMODERNIST BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE: A CASE STUDY OF KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KNUST) Adjei, K. and Oppong, R. A. Department of Industrial Art, Faculty of Art, College of Art and Built Environment, KNUST Department of Architecture, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology adjei44@yahoo.com; roppongassasie.cap@knust.edu.gh Abstract KNUST architecture is an amalgam of modernist and postmodernist styles. he earlier buildings show true characteristic of modernism while the latter ones show some features of postmodernism. Despite the general rejection of ornament in modernist building infrastructural development, the evidence on KNUST campus shows that ornaments have been employed in many of the modernist buildings. his study aimed at identifying t he reasons for this development and to analyse some of the ornamentations that have been used in both the modernist and postmodernist architecture on the KNUST campus. to determine their efectiveness and relevance within the contemporary discourse. he study employed the observation and descriptive methods of the qualitative methodology, as well as personal interviews for the data collection and discussion. The study reveals that the ornamentations (mural) on the early buildings are the results of adaptations that were made possible by the curriculum that was initiated by staf of the Painting and Sculpture department of the Faculty of Art. he curriculum made it mandatory for every inal year student of the department to locate and produce mural as a inal year project. It was observed that some of the murals were not in good conditions and those that were in good conditions were retouched versions of the original works. Again it was observed that the only work that was deliberately commissioned by the architect was the ceramic mural which is located in a postmodernist building, (Hale and Hearty) that captures the theme of the space. Keywords: ornamentation; modernist, postmodernist, building infrastructure, KNUST Introduction Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) was established in 1951 to provide higher education, with special reference to science and technology, to serve as a catalyst for the technological development of Ghana. It was originally established as the Kumasi College of Technology. he vision and mission of KNUST which is well spelt out in its Corporate Strategic Plan is to advance knowledge in science and technology for sustainable development in Africa. It is also to provide environment for teaching, research and entrepreneurship training in science and technology for the industrial and socio-economic development of Ghana, Africa and the whole world (KNUST, 2005).