C o b o o k

Kumasi . Ghana . 2016

Client Abetenim Community

Status Project

The composition of the village is a group of rectangular patios (emptiness) overhung by the houses (volume) creating two asymmetric facades : one is blind to the outside and the interior one is open to the courtyard. The life takes place under the gallery, this space between patio and house, where the inhabitants cook, play, speak, share and protect themselves to the sun or to the heavy rain.

This project wants to perpetuate this traditional Ashanti architectural language : emptiness / volume, interior / exterior, rhythm / austerity. It also emphasizes the use of sustainable materials with a stubbornness towards earthen construction techniques such as local Atakpame (cob).

The project’s L-shaped structure is reminiscent of an open book with a monolithic exterior facade, revealing the institutional figure of the building. The interior facade is slender by a rhythm of black steel posts on which the roof rested, like a shelter from the sun and the rain.

The Cobook school is a melting pot from which tradition and future merge to preserve the heritage of Ashanti culture.

Related works

V i l l a E s c

Périgord . France . 2012

Client Private

Status Project

On a hillside and overlooking a wooded landscape, a ribbon of red bricks curls into the slope.

The project was inspired by the troglodyte dwellings of the Perigord Noir, consisting of a camouflaged entrance and walls built against the rock. The concept is based on the principle of excavation and it is articulated around a 180 ° panoramic view.

Such as the mouth of a cave, an extrusion leads us to the entrance, an excavated patio. Upstairs are the guest rooms, the kitchen, dining and living room. These spaces communicate with each other either inside (a library/gallery) or outside (a corridor which ends on the patio). The top floor welcomes the master bedroom and the atelier. The inside house treatment lies in the materials, in their most primitive aspect with a general pattern of clay bricks.

The passive house is designed according to the principles of bioclimatic construction to provide comfort and energy independence for the clients.