Glenn DeRoché and Juergen Strohmayer designed and built the Surf Ghana Collective house in close dialogue with Surf Ghana and the Busua community. Accra-based DeRoché and Strohmayer collaborated on the project to support Surf Ghana’s invaluable community work. Glenn DeRoché is passionate about engaging with region-specific artisans to upscale local materials and building techniques to develop more sustainable, contemporary building practices among communities in the Caribbean, the US, and West Africa. Juergen Strohmayer’s design and research projects address material and typological approaches to climate change, community-oriented design, and land-use through long-term, transdisciplinary networks between West Africa and Europe

To improve the existing Surf Ghana Collective edifice, a new canopy replaced a leaking roof, which was the original structure’s only demolished element. The new ‘plugin’ canopy spans the existing house and a newly extended ground floor terrace, which features large steps towards the ocean acting for both access and seating. This social space is constructed around two existing Ficus trees that have been preserved. Given the lodge’s small preexisting footprint, we utilized the canopy’s rooftop to increase the surf club’s area, providing a respite point that features a playful array of pillars to hang hammocks and offers a new vantage point for surfers to observe surf swells. This multipurpose canopy is supported by sculptural columns that integrate new functions such as a bathroom and shower, storage for surfboards, a wet suit and rash guard rinse area, and water storage. The form of the new canopy and pillars echoes the sculptural qualities of the contemporary built environment along Ghana’s coast. The new canopy’s raw concrete texture and patina embeds it within the oceanfront’s existing context and creates a strong form that is visible from the beach and serves as both the club’s community marker and an orientation point for surfers.