Project name: African Agribusiness Knowledge Center
Project location: Afram Plains, Ghana
Firm name: ORG Permanent Modernity with P-REX
Jury comments: This project design is for a development program that is being directed by Africa Atlantic, a non-profit private company bringing scalable agriculture to underdeveloped rural markets in Africa. Africa Atlantic has teamed with MIT and Harvard Kennedy School | Science, Technology & Globalization Project to create a platform for agricultural development in Africa. This project is to be one of many training hubs that will train local farmers in agriculture that is scalable, economically sustainable and committed to supporting both environmental and social impacts to the region. It is to be occupied by 24 residents including researchers, scientists and guests. Programmatically it is composed of common areas, assembly rooms, offices, kitchen and dining, and recreational facilities including gardens, patio, soccer field and a swimming pool.
The jury felt that the program for this project and its social, economic and cultural aspirations are incredibly important and the architectural solution provided in the design is well conceived. The jury was impressed by the innovative and thoughtful uses of very common local building materials. The concrete block responds very well to local climatic conditions and through the use of a perimeter screen of concrete block followed with a thick inner layer of concrete block and earth the structure is well suited to mitigate the effects of the extreme climate it is located in. The special layout of this compound supports programmatic elements that are well purposed and create places to gather as a community. This is a very believable project and the jury hopes to learn of its successful completion.
Client: African Agribusiness Knowledge Center
Consultants: P-REX, Alan Berger; John Ochsendorf with William Plunkett, Alejandra Menchaca
