Tatale Campus with Studio Anna Heringer

We are excited to have started our collaboration with Studio Anna Heringer today: The Educational Training Campus is designed for the Tatale community in the Northeast of Ghana, close to the boarder to Togo. The sustainable training and production center will be run by the Salesians with their Don Bosco Mission.

The campus encompasses a school for sustainable construction techniques such as adobe masonry, mud walls (Zabur Technique), timber structures etc., and in addition 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. The vocational training aims to enable young people to secure their living locally and support their families counteracting rural exodus and emigration.

In today’s workshop we shared our climate analysis and first thoughts on the potential of natural ventilation in the buildings supported by stack effect or by wind effects. We pointed out areas in the outdoors that may need closer investigation and discussed the building orientation in relation to shading and reducing solar loads on the facade. The need for ventilation to keep spaces comfortable and hygienic in such a humid climate comes into conflict with the need to protect against mosquitos. The value, dangers, and challenges with mosquito nets in facade openings vs. personal nets per bed for the dorms were discussed.

In a next urgent step we will deliver concrete figures about the window/wall ratio needed for sufficient cross ventilation for a classroom building, which the team in Ghana is already starting to build next week. The project leader of Studio Anna Heringer Studio is already on site, the construction of the adobe walls are to be finished before the rain season starts in April/ May.

more information Studio Anna Heringer >

Client: Salesians of Don Bosco Anglophone West Africa Province, Salesians of Don Bosco Mission Austria-Tatale
Project leader architects: Katharina Kohlroser /Studio Anna Heringer
Technical planning/ engineering: Christian Zigato
Project coordination: Benson Boateng
Client and site coordination: Fr. Nichodemus Chinazo
Mentor and Sponsor: Peter Reischer