Name of the project: ABODE+ADOBE

Location: Abetenim Arts Village, Kumasi, Ghana

1st Prize Winning Entry
Designing for the Arts
3rd Earth Architecture Competition by NKA Foundation.

DESIGN TEAM

Leader: Sheikh Ahsan ullah Mojumder

Members:
Chowdhury Md. Junayed
Erum Ahmed

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The bamboo screen obviates the use of a harsh visual barrier, combining and blending it with surrounding nature and simultaneously secluding the spaces and activities to retain privacy.

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PROJECT BACKGROUND

NKA Foundation organized this competition, calling for the design of an innovative, modest, and affordable housing for artists that could be built using earth and local materials in Abetenim Arts Village, Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The built environment is to provide a place of stay for 8 to 10 international participants who come to immerse in the local culture to create works or collaborate on a community project. The tropical warm humid climate of Ghana and the local building materials were the guiding sources for possible architectural solutions that can be realized in the presented situation.

ABODE+ADOBE strives to create an environment best suited for the pristine, bucolic setting in which artists and designers will come for a time of contemplation and creative pursuits. The design methodology focuses on multi-functional spaces and cost effective construction techniques to ensure maximum efficiency.

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ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT

The indigenous craft of making of an abode has a rich cultural heritage and history that has been passed on through generations. The traditional house influences the psychological, physiological and metaphysical well-being of its members, encompassing its environmental, ecological, cultural, social and economic aspects. Here, building with natural materials is a response to its physical and chemical attributes. The construction process and outcome rely on available local resources, as well as the environmental, climatic and functional contexts.

Abode+Adobe is a contemporary adaptation of traditional earth construction practices to encourage the local community with a realization of the potentials this form of architecture holds.  It brings back a practice that has waned and been sidelined by faster and less labor intensive “modern” methods. While such architecture acts as a cultural representative of a region, its place-making process, its growth and function follow an organic pattern that is self-sustaining, reciprocal and adaptive to contextual situation.

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The residence is approached through a shaded walkway along the central courtyard.

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DESIGN LAYOUT & ORIENTATION

The building conforms to a prototypical modular design; a generic system which provides flexibility to accommodate different user preference, as user-centric ideas were a pre-requisite by the jury board. The dimensional parameters of the basic module is derived from the construction techniques and building materials, their potentials and limitations, the functional parameters have been derived from the type of activities it will cater while the spatial parameters develop from contextual and environmental considerations.

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The whole site is set as a platform for art enthusiasts and related activities with the house as a backdrop.

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The house acts as a southern backdrop for an outdoor activity area, which is hence under constant shade, ensuring a comfortable environment all day long, much preferred in the tropical Ghanaian climate. The facades are designed in such a way that it doesn’t create any mental constrains with harsh visual barriers but combine and blend it with surrounding nature.

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Exploded axonometric drawing of module

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The two-storied indoor structure is made of mud and bamboo; functional, structural and climatic factors coercing a flexible and efficient built-form. Each module accommodates four people at two levels, while a common work space spanning two modules caters the individual personal quarters. Mud walls give rise to a bamboo structure to hold the upper floor. The lighter bamboo framework transmits lesser load to the heavier mud structure below. The multi-layered bamboo and wood screens obviate the use of solid barriers, but simultaneously seclude the spaces and activities to retain privacy.

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Sections showing different spatial uses as per the user need.

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The work spaces are aligned along the courtyard, as they may be used for multifarious reasons with higher number of people, they may also be curtained off to secluded areas if one wants to work in solitude. The private, living areas are at the southern end to ensure maximum comfort for the residents. The service blocks are located on the east and west end, strengthening the north-south orientation of the building. The north and southern sides are completely open, lined by bamboo screens allowing maximum air circulation, a must for thermal comfort in warm-humid climates. A central gathering space has been provided as the focal point, spatially entwining and tying the whole landscape and adjacent residential modules. The reverse-pitched roof has been designed to collect rainwater along a central channel while allowing more air and sunlight inside and a stronger indoor-outdoor connection.

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The central gathering space as the focal point, spatially entwining and tying the whole landscape and adjacent residential modules.

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The free uninterrupted space of the interior makes visual connectivity consequential retaining individuality and privacy. A strong indoor and outdoor relationship is tried to be maintained throughout the whole design linking the outside landscape with internal spaces visually and physically at different levels. The common activity area looks on to the rustic landscape outdoors, creating a through visual and physical connection between the indoors and outdoors, vital to the essence of a lifestyle much closer to nature.

This design aims to create a harmonious architecture which doesn’t disturb the existing physical texture and landscape pattern rather enhances the environment quality being at an interdependent and coherent existence. The aesthetics of this design evolved from the traditional building art and techniques based on the cultural, social and environmental context which helps to integrate it easily with people both physically and psychologically. The blending of contemporary methods with the indigenous ones also helps to attain cultural responsiveness revitalizing the spirit of contextuality.

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The common activity area looks on to the rustic landscape outdoors, creating a through visual and physical connection between the indoors and outdoors, vital to the essence of a life much closer to nature.

_ Please find the details of the workshop in the following link :

Workshop detail[+] 

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