eARThouse in Abetenim
Creative Platform for Learning
NEA ONNIM NO SUA A, OHU (“He who does not know can know from learning”). It means the continued quest for knowledge. It is the essence of wisdom. This aspect of learning can be seen as something that takes place on an ongoing basis from our daily interactions with others and with the world around us.
Housing for the arts involves not just dwelling matters but also cultural changes and educational aspects. It is a reinterpretation of schools in terms of tradition and in the way communities hand down theirs culture.
Life-long education is woven into the political, economic, spiritual and physical life. The apprenticeship system, and the wider community encouraged people to become gainfully employed, self-confident and constantly inculcating the basic values of tolerance, understanding, cooperation, justice and equality. In other words, it envisions the total development of everyone.
In an art village the two processes, creation and learning by doing, are very close. By the connection of crafts and expertises together, the learning cycle starts. According to this, the art centre acquires sensory values and a special sharing spot within the village, as an open learning system. The design aims to integrate locals and guests artist, both interested in enhancing their skills. This full cultural immersion triggers a virtuous circle which improves the unrecognised local resources. The goal is to create an active network of artists and locals, offer a platform for the presentation art, and to develop a critical forum for the promotion of Ghana culture.
The house is an organism where each room is function specific. The dwelling is related to the artistic experience, through different situations and sequences of spaces. The project is composed of 8 rooms connected around a small patio for social activities and cultural sharing. It provides a place to stay for 9 dwellers, single and double rooms (Painting room; Carpets room, Clay room, Wood room, Music room). The human body symbolism is implicit. The layout, in one hand, could refer to the brain structure as left-right hemisphere division, on the other hand it works as an entire organism: living room as the mind where experiences are shared, the kitchen for the stomach, arms and legs are the room where artists live. Modern housing can be still very innovative using traditional Ashanti Architecture, local arts and contemporary techniques. It provides a stable place for creative people from the Ashanti region and other countries to live, work, learn and create. The innovative design can be developed locally, according to material availability and construction system also involves local workers and artists throughout the building process. The design is scalable and easy adaptable to the context.
The used typology is the traditional courtyard house with private outdoor area shaded and well ventilated thank to vents and open gables. The earth wall have high thermal inertia with less temperature variation per heating/cooling cycle. The roof height ensures a good air circulation and the heat is well evacuated. For the roof, corrugated zinc sheets are effective, waterproof and lightweight. It overhangs 4 feet around the house to protect the wall from rain and sun. There are also gutters between roof to collect rainwater, and stock it in the courtyard. The outer walls have little openings and thermal insulation while fresh air is provided from wooden doors. Cast earth method gives us the ability to self-build a wall with local resources and less waste of materials. Cast earth relies on the traditional process of shuttering and mold making. The mixing and pouring process uses ordinary soil. The foundations are made of stabilized rock and earth. The walls are built on a slab of concrete and they are capped with a bond beam. The compacted layers of earth are tighten by tension bar if needed.The upper part of the walls are made of earth adobes and mud plaster outside. The clay plaster protects the wall and it allows traditional decorations. For the roof structure we use little wood, which is the main affordable material. The total budget is 6840$. The overall different techniques used can contribute to the local development.
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