Courtyard House

This study for a residence in Hohoe, Ghana, explores the regional courtyard typology with close connections to its site and the distinctive lifestyle of the owner. Set in a quiet yet growing neighborhood of the provincial town, embedded in the tropical mountain ridges of Ghana’s Volta Region, the building negotiates the heterogeneities of the site in a cohesive and unifying design. The massing is at the scale of adjacent houses and positions itself at the edge of the building lot, foreshadowing a more urbanized, busier scenario. The design proposes a property without fence wall – unusual for a new development, but still largely absent in the immediate surrounding - as privacy and security are negotiated by the courtyard building itself. While the design is in dialogue with the particular urban character of Hohoe, the building’s curvilinear formal language connects it to the landscape of the Volta Region, defined by scenic mountain ridges that are visible from the site, and the hydrographic landscape of the Volta River system.

A thin concrete shell forms the roof and defines the subtle, horizontal silhouette of the building. Driven by four straight edges of the building volume that are angled to relate to the slope of the site and views to the mountains, the concrete shell roof is designed as an hp-surface. The curvilinear courtyard is cut into the building volume to reveal the most significant view to the mountain ridge and sunset. The slender roof of exposed concrete sits on massive rammed concrete walls that integrate many of the functions and amenities of the interior through poché and support the passive climate strategies of the building. Developed closely with the client, the interior is designed as a variegated open plan space zoned into a more private living studio and a living area to receive visitors. A guest room and service rooms are designed into the building mass. Modulations in the floor and walls as well as the three-dimensional qualities of the roof that is experienced in the interior give the spaces their character.

Location: Hohoe, Ghana / Program: private residence / Year: 2019 - 2020 / Area: 180m2