Educational Campus, Tatale, Ghana

Educational Campus

The Educational Training Campus is designed for the Tatale community in the Northeast of Ghana, close to the border to Togo. It will be operated by the Salesians with their Don Bosco Mission. The vocational training provided there aims to enable young people to secure their living locally and support their families, counteracting rural exodus and emigration.
On the campus is a school for sustainable construction techniques, such as adobe masonry, mud walls (Zabur Technique), and timber structures, and a school for agriculture and production of local agricultural products. It will include a training center for electricians, domestic economy, and healthy nutrition as well as student dorms, a community hall, a library, and teacher accommodations.

Transsolar started supporting the project by analysing the climate on site and the proposed design for the campus, with particular interest in natural ventilation and solar shading strategies. The interior spaces should have sufficient natural ventilation for thermal comfort and hygienic reasons. Solar exposure should be minimized in this hot and humid climate. For this, we applied a general to specific approach, first analysing the layout of the buildings (campus scale), then addressing the specifics of the different buildings (architectural scale). For the latter, we started by evaluating the agricultural classroom building, as its construction was imminent.
To achieve our climate responsive goals, the ratio of window to wall sizes should be appropriately designed, and the locations suitable. The roof must be equipped with openings of the right size and location to allow a usable chimney ventilation effect. The building should be oriented in a way that the façade exposed to the sun is minimized. The roof overhangs must be optimally designed depending on their orientation.
In addition, strategies to protect the users from mosquitoes were an important topic, because different solutions can have different effects on thermal comfort.
Anna Heringer's team adapted the classroom design based on the discussions. Particularly important details here are the orientation and dimensions of the roof openings.
We are currently giving similar feedback for the two dormitories (girls and boys), as they have a different typology as the classroom.

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