Solutions 101 was conceived as a demonstration — a residential project built to show how far self-sufficiency can be taken when passive environmental systems lead the design rather than follow it.
Our team chose a deliberately local, low-carbon material strategy of brick and adobe, selected for thermal behaviour as much as availability. These work in concert with the building's passive systems to reduce operational dependence across the board.
The design's logic is that comfort and self-sufficiency should come from orientation, mass and airflow first, and mechanical systems only where genuinely needed.
Passive systems working together
Natural ventilation, careful solar orientation, thermal mass and borehole water reinforce one another to minimise mechanical loads while maintaining comfort. As a proof of concept, the scheme sets out a replicable model for sustainable living in the Ghanaian climate.
What we delivered
- A low-carbon material strategy using locally sourced brick and adobe
- Passive ventilation, cooling and solar-orientation design
- Borehole and water-system integration for operational self-sufficiency