Youth center in Mafi Dadoboe, Ghana
Year
2022 – 2024
Location
Mafi Dadoboe, Ghana.
Context
Rural
Size
3 Classrooms
Service
Design
Partner
Friends without Boarders e.V.
Sustainability
Local staff and materials
Youth center in Mafi Dadoboe, Ghana
With the construction of the youth center at the Mafi Dadoboe school campus, a new, protected space for young people has been created. The center offers room for meeting, creativity, and shared activities, with a particular focus on programs for girls. It complements the school environment without being part of the regular school day: it is mainly used after classes, in the evenings, and on weekends.
Context
The youth center is located at the entrance to the school buildings. Since all students pass the site every day, the facility was designed from the outset as a clearly defined, protected area. The center remains closed outside oping hours which prevents it to be used unsupervised.
Since there are already sufficient sanitation facilities on the school grounds (a total of 16 toilets in three toilet blocks), no additional toilets were built in the youth center at this stage. For events, access to the nearest toilet block can be arranged.
Solution
The architectural concept consists of three buildings of equal size. Two of the buildings each contain a large multipurpose room (approx. 50–60 m²) that can be used flexibly for music groups, theatre, talks, meetings, and discussions. The third building is divided into two smaller rooms of equal size: a creative room for arts, drawing, and crafts, and a dedicated room for girls, intentionally designed as a protected space for meeting, exchange, and activities such as sewing.
Between the buildings, a covered, shaded area was created as a connecting space with seating. It supports both informal gatherings and collaborative work. The center also makes a visual statement: colorful elements such as bright window shutters create a welcoming atmosphere and strengthen young people’s sense of ownership of “their” place. At the same time, the site was planned so that it can be expanded in the future.
With the youth center, a space has been created in Mafi Dadoboe that can be used long-term, opening up new opportunities for young people and strengthening the community.
