The ‘Nkabom Botanical Centre’ brief called for a botanical garden and research centre based in Accra, Ghana for our client ‘Aburi Botanical Gardens’. The accommodation schedule included an exhibition space and living spaces for artists in residency, alongside the research laboratory and herbarium. ‘Nkabom’ meaning unity or togetherness in the Ghanian Fante dialect, is at the heart of the project with the design aimed at bringing the community together. The design uses individual buildings, each with a distinct function, aligned along a shaded central spine pathway. The use of smaller individual buildings allows for greater integration of the design within the botanical gardens and maximises their potential for natural ventilation cooling. It is entirely single storey besides the accommodation at the South-East of the site that is raised at first floor level to maintain the coastal views and increase cross ventilation from prevailing winds. Each building uses primarily locally made adobe bricks constructed using a rat trap bond technique to increase its sustainability and reduce overheating. The mono-pitched roofs are separated by timber clad steel columns, with only mosquito screens between, to allow for warm air to be pushed out and replaced by cooler air from the coast. Alongside the site is the Ussher Fort and James Town Café, while the Ussher Fort is relatively sealed off the design opens itself to James Town café at the entrance, which is pushed back from the main road to provide a ‘transitional’ space into the gardens. In doing this it is able to keep the design connected to the wider community while also being an environment in its own right. Overall, the design aims to create a botanical garden space for visitors while integrating its purpose of becoming a botanical research centre in Accra for the Aburi Botanical Gardens.
Gallery
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