Dansoman Studio

Dansoman Studio in western Accra, Ghana, proposes a new way of remodeling and expanding a typical residential compound in the West African metropolis. The concise and responsive design was developed in close contact with the client and brings together an awareness of changing lifestyles, sustainability, and a new design language in the city.

An existing L-shaped building is renovated by simplifying the floorplan and improving privacy for four tenants. Co-living for young, urban users is facilitated by creating easier access to shared amenities such as the kitchen and living room. A new two-story loft is positioned on the southern edge of the lot, creating a courtyard between the old and new structures and blocking views and noise from the large urban space that borders the site towards the south.

The new building functions as a self-contained studio and is accessed from the newly formed courtyard. The design creates a base in the city for the client’s travelling lifestyle as a creative entrepreneur. Living room and open kitchen are on the ground floor, a bedroom and study are on the first floor. The form of this new building responds to the slope of the terrain that runs through the site so that floors step down towards the east and the roof is sloped down towards the southeast. This gives the building a dynamic silhouette that echoes the natural slope of the terrain. Solar impact on the building is minimized by shorter east and west facades. The building is wrapped in a porous façade of breeze blocks on its three urban sides, giving it a strong visual presence in the neighborhood, while supporting natural light and cross-ventilation in the building. A large planter mediates between the building façade and the street and replaces a generic fence wall. The design speaks to the growing neighborhood by proposing a new residential building form of tropical breeze blocks that wrap an elegant building volume as well as adding lush vegetation to the streetscape, inviting the neighborhood to develop in a more communally-minded way.

Location: Accra, Ghana / Program: private residence / Year: 2020 - ongoing / Area UFA: 92m2 (new) + 150m2 (renovation) / Project team: Juergen Strohmayer, Abdul-Rauf Issahaque