19 Jun 2015

Rammed Earth Workshop, Ghana

Kente House Building Workshop is organised by NKA Foundation, a nonprofit organisation from the United States, which initially created the 2014 Mud House Design Competition considering that in Ghana, stereotypes about buildings made of earth persist because of the poor construction.

Projects participating in the competition, such as Kente House, were selected to be constructed as prototypes in the Abetenim Arts Village, a 6 acre site located 40km Southeast of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The Kente House Building Workshop was created to be a pilot project for a network of arts villages to be potentially replicated within Ghana.

The prototype will be constructed by international participants, which include graduates and students of architecture, design and others from different countries including Denmark, Ireland, United States, Egypt, Greece, England, Italy and Chile, along with local labor at Abetenim. Students can use the workshop opportunity to fulfil the academic requirements for their stage/internship, thesis or being part of this learning-by-doing experience through the construction of a vernacular architecture project.

This hands-on course will run from July 3rd until October 9th and you can join us at any time to contribute with this cause. The topics included are:

- Introduction to Ashanti's architecture. Site analysis, learning local environmental features, architectural elements, lifestyle, culture and heritage

- Learning Ashanti's traditional rammed earth technique using local laterite [red earth]

- Introduction to passive strategies such as comfort cooling using local materials and traditional construction techniques

- Constructing a 120m2, one-storey prototype which includes includes environmental features such as 40cm local laterite earth walls, ventilated roofs and EW orientation to harness local winds and reduce overheating along with Kente cloth shading devices made of native cotton and local wood.

- A learning-by-doing experience, through the construction of one of the shortlisted designs of the Mud House Design Competition 2014. From the base of the foundations to the top of the roof, be part of this experience and help to contribute in Ghana's housing development and growth.

The workshop is divided in 2 parts as follows and you can join us at any time:

First Workshop = July 3rd - August 19th
Second Workshop = August 27th - October 9th

It has a participation fee of €400, which will enable to buy materials and pay labour costs.