Eco-Friendly Dream House in Accra, Ghana Built By Ghanaian Architect Joe Osae Addo

"Unhappy with Accra’s concrete-block houses, the architect was determined to build with the materials found primarily in rural areas: timber and adobe mud blocks. “Adobe mud block doesn’t exist in cities in Ghana, which meant I had to create it,” says Osae-Addo. Furthermore, he didn’t want air-conditioning in a climate where the average temperature can approach 90 degrees, with humidity exceeding 90 percent (an idea that didn’t immediately fly with his soon-to-be wife).
“I wanted to explore ideas of light, cross ventilation, and lightness of structure,” Osae-Addo says of their one-story, 2,500-square-foot house. Arranged in an L-shape, with bedrooms and TV room in one wing and the kitchen and dining areas in the other, the house has a balcony wrapping around it, inspired by both colonial English bungalows and the courtyard plans of rural Ghanaian houses. “There are no internal corridors,” Osae-Addo says, “so rooms extend from one wall to the opposite wall, allowing for free flow of light and air. We are always moving from room to room. It’s a very intimate house.”
The design follows the “no air-conditioning” philosophy by raising the structure three feet off the ground on a wooden deck to take advantage of cooling under-floor breezes. For cross ventilation, the house has sliding slatted-wood screens that neighbors thought were crazy in the damp, hot climate, and floor-to-ceiling jalousie windows. The project was not without its challenges, including, Osae-Addo says, “the limitations of labor, availability of materials, environmental conditions, and being ready to adapt the original design.” He continues, “There was a temptation to give up on the original concept of adobe, because of the difficulty in making it ourselves. We achieved the near impossible of taking a relatively unskilled labor force and inspiring them to think differently and be open to new possibilities.” Though the house is on the grid, solar panels provide backup power for lighting and heating water, and deep timber overhangs provide ample shade."
extract taken from - www.archidatum.com/projects/i...
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[@anwulika.o]

I saw this house on Apple TV’s show and have been OBSESSED ever since. So excited to see it again

[@VanessaKanbi]

I don’t have Apple TV but really wanna see the show!

[@philiq18]

Beautiful home. I'm a fan of the simplicity and materials. Blends well with the landscape.

[@latsword3513]

Love this house, especially the fact that it's built factoring in the local environment. I remember Nana's house was built on stilts, allowing both airflow and negating the effect of torrential rain during the wet season. The ventilation is something that we took for granted. African architecture has lost a lot of practically as we have commercialised

[@yaaobenewaah1697]

This is a beautiful house. We Ghanaians have to build to keep the heat out.

[@VanessaKanbi]

Yes Joe has done a lovely job!

[@InfoPharmaGh]

Well done Akua Vann3. This house is fantabrutall. Gorgeous

[@VanessaKanbi]

Thank you

[@loribylori1752]

Always wanted to see a tour of this beautiful home. Well done! 😍

[@VanessaKanbi]

Thank you I have wanted to see it for YEARRSSS aswell xx

[@brigey]

Beautiful airbnb that I stayed in years ago, but the mosquitos ate me alive in the bedroom!!

[@KwameAmedzo]

Joe Osae addo the innonative architect

[@palmlaguna]

Great, ghana has now beautiful new house Designs. I love it!

[@KwameAmedzo]

Been there for about 15years

[@palmlaguna]

@@KwameAmedzo i like that house!

[@KwameAmedzo]

@@palmlaguna yes..nice

[@emma-leefortune8331]

This is beautiful...simple and raw

[@danieladdison130]

Awesome stuff! My regards to Joe 👍🙂❤

[@maudoforiaffoh5518]

Looks like a typical Chinese build....full of nature...so beautiful

[@kevin-kingadu2080]

Hey Vanessa, thank you for the video, waiting for your own projects, you have something coming for us doing all these inter and reviews? Anyway good job, bless you and have a nice weekend, you snd your family, as i sugggest your watchibg the football game turkey hahaha.

[@daledavidson2635]

Perfection!

[@jocieluch4784]

Very cool,unique place ❤

[@providetriggersforevolutio3748]

Absolutely! I would live in or rent it! I downloaded this video! Vanessa, where did you get your dress?

[@Psalms20A21]

🌿Unique Will share

[@aberba]

Louvers weren't abandoned for air-conditioning. Many homes with glass windows don't even have wiring for air-conditioning. Louvers don't seal well, traps and lets in dust, and general a maintenance headache. The better louvers never made it to the local market. The technology hasn't generally been improved since forever. Hopefully we get a better Louvre design. I'm a big fan of the airflow.

[@VanessaKanbi]

I’ve seen some high quality ones that seal would be great to see them more.

[@infronttv4271]

Wow. Nice house

[@VanessaKanbi]

I Love it!

[@amadubaba5422]

Very very unique house 🎉

[@VanessaKanbi]

Indeed!

[@mickymouse2445]

I love it

[@VanessaKanbi]

It’s so stunning!

[@Kofi.86]

Nice property I would live there

[@jesusm2159]

Saludos happy Sunday

[@VanessaKanbi]

Thank you. Happy Saturday to you too

[@magenta4769]

some parts of the outside of the house is nice but the staircase to the front door has no wheelchair access. Inside too many step down, a more simple layout would have been nice. I feel he want simplicity but was trying too hard it became a confused layout.. just my thoughts..

[@markweekes8858]

Whats the name of the tree with red flowers?

[@herbertthornton4476]

miss you Vanessa

[@VanessaKanbi]

No need to miss me cos I’m back 🥳

[@denniscasely-hayford3245]

​@@VanessaKanbi Back for how long?

[@tourandrelocationcommunity]

Its feels like an oasis of comfort. Beautiful home, thanks for sharing this home with us Vanessa.

[@NatureBoy614]

Awesome House Vanessa Beautifully shot , with the classy music 🎵 😊….the whole house looks like a piece of art. I personally would stay innit but I’ll have to throw in a 75 inch flatscreen to watch my shows like yours 😊❤ 😂cheers . Always impressed with the way you dress. Such a lady. Thanks 🙏

[@deffkidd9088]

i want to buy it

[@sharifahyarbrough2049]

What part of Ghana is this, Interested in guest house

[@KwameAmedzo]

Adjringano ' east legon' accra

[@sharifahyarbrough2049]

@@KwameAmedzo Thanks

[@TheChariot99]

For an architects house, i feel the finishing could've been way better! It feels more like an architect art studio.

[@denniscasely-hayford3245]

I totally agree.

[@KwameAmedzo]

What finishing do you want. Besides he's not been living there for years

[@TheChariot99]

@@KwameAmedzo l guess by Ghanaian standard; yes what finishing must I want from a Ghanaian “architect” and I’m not being sarcastic 😂 Kwame. May GOD help you. 😂 wait, do you know the definition of sarcasm?

[@Bamidele-ee8ch]

What annual taxes do u pay for this houses?

[@whynotyou783]

Can we have the architects contact info? I want to build something similar in Cameroon

[@VanessaKanbi]

Email me

[@thewiredinpod]

@@VanessaKanbiI also want his contact

[@Manny_Boston]

Nice house. Very welcoming. Can you please say Primary bedroom instead of master bedroom. Master bedroom is a problematic term for it's ties to slavery. Thanks for the video

[@VanessaKanbi]

Yes sorry I’ve been trying to erase master from my vocabulary as you will see from other videos. Apologies if I say master in this one.

[@aberba]

Looks like the house is rotting away. The place isn't well maintained.

[@melanatedone4894]

I don’t like it no flow to the house and poor Quality sorry 😢.