Writer, curator, and filmmaker residency dot.ateliers | Ogbojo emerges from a wave of production-led artist residencies which have recently begun popping up along West Africa. A few things set it apart from the rest: It’s centered on rest and relaxation; it focuses on non-commercial opportunities as well as work that lies in tandem with communities; and it’s located in a meditative campus by Glenn DeRoche and Juergen-Benson Strohmayer in what was formerly the joint firm DeRoché Strohmayer. The architects turned what was previously an incomplete 2-story building with a pitched roof and intersecting single-story houses into an adaptive reuse project, rare to Ghana, that’s strategically designed to foster reflective moments in line with the residency’s teachings.

DeRoché Strohmayer, an architectural practice based in Accra, New York, and Vienna, approached the site by keeping the integrity of the original building intact. The architects demolished the single-story buildings and all internal partitions, stripped back the larger, 2-story structure down to its frame on the ground floor, and replaced the pitched roof with a flat one to better conceal all building services. They kept the original, weathered columns exposed to the interiors and the first floor exterior walls. Additions came in the form of cutouts amongst the new structure to frame garden and sky views, ancillary structures surround the main building, and a canopy which now defines a central courtyard.

Now, the ground floor of the main structure houses all of the communal programs, such as the living room, library, gym, and kitchen, while the above floor houses private, ensuite rooms. Old features of the building are stitched together with new additions via a new garden and open canopy. Not only does the canopy serve as outdoor communal space or space for individual contemplative moments, but it also crucially helps reduce solar heat gain. Windows and openings set back in a deep wall assembly further help with this reduction.

As the design of the buildings takes into account its environment so too do the interior and exterior material palettes. “The material palette was born out of our conversations about how to create an environment that felt soft, warm, and inviting—one where the materials themselves, rather than superficial finishes like paint, would communicate a sense of nature and authenticity,” said Glenn DeRoché and Juergen Strohmayer, the studio’s founders. A conscious decision was made to use the firm’s custom-engineered, low-carbon cement mix which was used to cast all new concrete elements. On the exterior, this mix was applied with a rough-earth render method that echoes the artisanal earth-construction methods of Ghana. Inside, it’s used to smoothly plaster the facade walls.

The architects also used locally sourced Ghana Walnut timber on the interior to add warmth to the material and color palette, as well as place the interior in context with the outdoors. ”Ultimately, the material choices in the project reflect a harmonious dialogue between aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability—resulting in a space that feels both refined and at home within its natural surroundings,” said the duo.

Restrained decor and furnishings help keep the interior tranquil. Instead of accents, the architects allow the interplay between light and dark to set the tone of the interior. In the social spaces, a bounty of windows ensure lots of natural light. In more secluded areas like hallways, bedrooms, and reading areas, controlled, minimal light is supplied through strategic apertures to enhance the reflective nature of the space. As the founders told AN Interior, “How these spaces were then laid out within the existing envelope is how we created a rhythmic play between light and dark.”

The varying choreography of the different levels mediates this flow of space. While on the ground floor the elimination of doors and thresholds creates a continuous floorplan, the upper level features enclosed rooms that eventually open up onto shared spaces or outdoor terraces. Both spaces support dot.ateliers as a space for community work and individual time for rest and contemplation.