a handmade school for rural ghana

In 2016 Lida Lioupi and Penny Stergiopoulou, two recent graduates of the School of Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, won a distinction at the 4th Earth Architecture International Competition 'School for Ghana,' set up by the Ghanaian nonprofit NKA Foundation. 

Lida's and Penny's design for a handmade classroom for Ghana involved the use of local and recycled materials and traditional construction techniques. 

The construction project was carried out in Sang, capital of the Mion District in Northern Ghana from July 1 till October 15, 2017.

During 14 weeks, 40 volunteers, the majority of whom came from Greece, worked alongside skilled local builders and community volunteers, most of whom were students.

Penny Stergiopoulou and Lida Lioupi, in Sang, Northern Ghana as project leaders of 'A Handmade School for Rural Ghana'
Penny Stergiopoulou and Lida Lioupi, project leaders of 'A Handmade School for Rural Ghana'
Building a handmade school with local and recycled materials in Sang, Northern Ghana
Building a handmade school in Sang, Northern Ghana
'A Handmade School for Ghana' built with the aid of local choolchildren practicing the Bottle-Brick construction technique in Sang, Northern Ghana
Schoolchildren practicing the Bottle-Brick construction technique in Sang, Northern Ghana
The Bottle-Brick construction technique, a simple and accessible way to recycle everyday plastic materials into a useful building materials
The Bottle-Brick construction technique, a simple and accessible way to recycle everyday plastic materials into a useful building materials
The 'Cuelba Classroom' (cuelba meaning bottle in the local Dagbani language) in Sang, Northern Ghana, built with the Bottle-Brick construction technique
The 'Cuelba Classroom' (cuelba meaning bottle in the local Dagbani language) in Sang, Northern Ghana
Lida Lioupi and Penny Stergiopoulou with local Ghanaian laborers in front of their project for the NKA Foundation 'A Handmade School for Ghana'
Lida Lioupi and Penny Stergiopoulou with local Ghanaian laborers in front of 'A Handmade School for Ghana'

the project in numbers

Duration: 14 weeks

Budget: € 11000

Volunteers: 40, most from Greece

Skilled local workers: on average, 3 per week

Community volunteers: over 200, most of them schoolchildren

Large plastic bottles filled with earth: 3500

Small plastic bottles filled with earth: 4000