Why should you support our project?

Affordable, high-quality houses made of local materials!

In recent decades, as in many other countries, building culture in Ghana has moved away from traditional materials such as clay. Stone and concrete have become symbols of personal prosperity and longevity.

This has created a strong dependence on the world market, as cement and steel need to be imported. International price developments have made quality housing only affordable for wealthy people. The development has been observed for years and has led to a visible housing shortage in Ghana. In turn, the traditional building material clay has become an indicator for those parts of the population that can no longer afford housing.

With our project we will show that modern and valuable houses in Ghana can also be built sustainably from local materials and at a fraction of the cost compared to a house made of stone and concrete. In this way, we will make the construction industry less dependent on the world market and contribute to affordable and quality housing for everyone.

Everyone should be able to afford a minimum standard of housing.

By combining local materials such as bamboo and clay, traditional building culture with local craftsmen and modern manufacturing technology, we halve the construction costs for a house. On top of that we reduce carbon emissions by up to 90%.

We use a clay building technique which is new to Ghana called Rammed-Earth. Compared to the traditional clay buildings, Rammed-Earth buildings are more resistant to weathering, last longer, and give the building a modern appearance.

We want to show the enormous advantages of Rammed-Earth buildings and convince people that earth is not just a building material for the poor.

The solid clay construction naturally cools the house. In addition, the architecture of the house favors natural ventilation and is equipped with a shading system against the sun. As a result, it does not need air conditioning. A PV-System on the roof makes the building self-sufficient. We will be constructing the entire house within a timeframe of the next 4 month. Take a look at the house.

We train local builders in sustainable construction.         

We have made it our mission to teach students and local craftsmen about sustainable building solutions. This is why we are working with the local community to build a fully functional single-family home as a model home. For this we only use natural, fully recyclable, and locally available materials.

After completion, the model house and the property will be made available to the local community as a meeting and event location. Public community workshops on clay construction, self-sufficiency, and sustainable living will be offered.

Who is Isopterra?

We are a passionate collective of 17 students from Germany, Istanbul and Ghana. Our team is committed to positively impacting the global construction industry. We want to make the way we build and live environmentally friendly. Everyone has different professional backgrounds and skills. What unites us all, is the issue of sustainability.

 "We want to be part of the solution to our environmental problems, not the problem itself."

 The idea for the project came to life after the project founders Marvin and Paul competed twice in the international student architecture competition, the Solar Decathlon. They started their own project in Ghana with the knowledge and experience they gained.

They chose Ghana to build the house because Marvin's mother is Ghanaian. He spent much of his childhood in this country, has a very personal connection here and wants to provide a positive change in his country.

How can you help?

You can get involved in the project not only by donating, but also by working on our construction site or by participating in our workshops. We are working in the Western Region of Ghana in Butre. We welcome everyone who is interested and would like to contribute. We are also happy to receive (previously agreed on) donations in kind such as building materials or construction tools.

What does your donation do?

Your money will be used to buy building materials, tools and to pay local workers. We also add infrastructure in Butre, such as a new public well and power lines.

We don’t follow a commercial purpose with building the house.