Backyard Community Club
Prize(s):
WINNER 2026 ARCHITECTURE / Public building Architecture
Company Name:DeRoche Projects
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Glenn DeRoche
Architecture Firm:DeRoche Projects
Client Name:Backyard Community Club
Photo Credit:Julien Lanoo
Project Location:Accra, Ghana
Design Status:Completed
Website: View
Project Description:
In Accra, where public investment in recreational space is limited and green areas increasingly scarce, the Backyard Community Club proposes a new model for shared civic life: a community sports facility centered on a tennis court, demonstrating how design can deliver inclusive, sustainable, and socially transformative environments. It is Ghana’s first project using a precast rammed earth system – an innovative method pioneered by the studio that reimagines an ancestral material for contemporary, scalable use. Set within a compact plot in the dense neighbourhood of Osu, the project is more than a sports facility. It establishes a youth community space where training, cultivation, gathering and learning take place side by side. The Backyard Community Club sets out a model of public space that supports social exchange, environmental responsibility and the sustainable use of resources. Built to international standards, the clay tennis court is designed for professional‑level doubles play, providing athletes under 18 with a high‑quality training environment while fostering access to the sport through free lessons for children in the community.
In Accra, where public investment in recreational space is limited and green areas increasingly scarce, the Backyard Community Club proposes a new model for shared civic life: a community sports facility centered on a tennis court, demonstrating how design can deliver inclusive, sustainable, and socially transformative environments. It is Ghana’s first project using a precast rammed earth system – an innovative method pioneered by the studio that reimagines an ancestral material for contemporary, scalable use. Set within a compact plot in the dense neighbourhood of Osu, the project is more than a sports facility. It establishes a youth community space where training, cultivation, gathering and learning take place side by side. The Backyard Community Club sets out a model of public space that supports social exchange, environmental responsibility and the sustainable use of resources. Built to international standards, the clay tennis court is designed for professional‑level doubles play, providing athletes under 18 with a high‑quality training environment while fostering access to the sport through free lessons for children in the community.
Project Innovation / Specification:
Pioneering Ghana’s First Precast Rammed Earth System Emerging from a broader investigation into sustainable building practices, the research departs from conventional building practices in Ghana. Applying for the first time the precast rammed earth panels, alongside a modular system tailored to local transport and labor, the project establishes a model for scalable, sustainable construction. Our system bypasses the constraints of traditional rammed earth through off-site fabrication, allowing for advanced quality control, tighter structural tolerances, and parallel workstreams between site preparation and panel production. The result is a modular, climate-responsive, and replicable system tailored to the realities of Ghanaian transport, labor, and climate. It is delivered more quickly, with less waste, and with a fraction of the embodied carbon of concrete. By applying precast rammed earth modules at this scale, the project pioneers a model for future development, showing how innovative, material-driven design can advance sustainable urban life while safeguarding cultural identity and environmental values.
Pioneering Ghana’s First Precast Rammed Earth System Emerging from a broader investigation into sustainable building practices, the research departs from conventional building practices in Ghana. Applying for the first time the precast rammed earth panels, alongside a modular system tailored to local transport and labor, the project establishes a model for scalable, sustainable construction. Our system bypasses the constraints of traditional rammed earth through off-site fabrication, allowing for advanced quality control, tighter structural tolerances, and parallel workstreams between site preparation and panel production. The result is a modular, climate-responsive, and replicable system tailored to the realities of Ghanaian transport, labor, and climate. It is delivered more quickly, with less waste, and with a fraction of the embodied carbon of concrete. By applying precast rammed earth modules at this scale, the project pioneers a model for future development, showing how innovative, material-driven design can advance sustainable urban life while safeguarding cultural identity and environmental values.
Project Sustainability Approach:
The Backyard Community Club integrates a range of sustainable strategies throughout. The project champions local, low-carbon building materials and systems, with rammed earth construction to enclose the clay court. As clay courts require a lot of water to keep its performance for play, a borehole system and redirected stormwater runoff provide irrigation for the clay court and landscaped areas, reducing reliance on municipal water and supporting resilient, drought-tolerant planting. An earth slurry finish replaces traditional cementitious renders, offering a breathable, low-impact alternative that further reduces embodied carbon. The ancillary structures are designed to function without air conditioning or mechanical extraction, instead relying on the stack effect for passive ventilation and abundant natural light, minimizing energy demand and reducing dependence on the main grid.
The Backyard Community Club integrates a range of sustainable strategies throughout. The project champions local, low-carbon building materials and systems, with rammed earth construction to enclose the clay court. As clay courts require a lot of water to keep its performance for play, a borehole system and redirected stormwater runoff provide irrigation for the clay court and landscaped areas, reducing reliance on municipal water and supporting resilient, drought-tolerant planting. An earth slurry finish replaces traditional cementitious renders, offering a breathable, low-impact alternative that further reduces embodied carbon. The ancillary structures are designed to function without air conditioning or mechanical extraction, instead relying on the stack effect for passive ventilation and abundant natural light, minimizing energy demand and reducing dependence on the main grid.
Local and Regional Impacts of the Project:
Backyard Community Club offers an alternative to conventional approaches to designing sports facilities, proposing a model of building rooted in material honesty, local knowledge, and social purpose. From the outset, our team prioritized deep engagement with local builders, athletes, and educators – from the Rome Masters to rammed earth technical advisors to define a design process that is both inclusive and exemplary. More than a construction method, it is a new framework for building from the ground up, using the ground itself. By connecting sport with ecological practice, the Backyard Community Club sets out a model of public space that supports social exchange, environmental responsibility and the sustainable use of resources.
Backyard Community Club offers an alternative to conventional approaches to designing sports facilities, proposing a model of building rooted in material honesty, local knowledge, and social purpose. From the outset, our team prioritized deep engagement with local builders, athletes, and educators – from the Rome Masters to rammed earth technical advisors to define a design process that is both inclusive and exemplary. More than a construction method, it is a new framework for building from the ground up, using the ground itself. By connecting sport with ecological practice, the Backyard Community Club sets out a model of public space that supports social exchange, environmental responsibility and the sustainable use of resources.
Company Name:DeRoche Projects
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Glenn DeRoche
Profile Description:
DeRoche Projects is an Accra-based architecture and design practice working globally to create innovative, community driven spaces. Founded and led by Glenn DeRoche, who brings over 15 years of experience delivering major cultural, civic, and commercial projects, the studio delivers work across various scales, from buildings to objects.
DeRoche Projects is an Accra-based architecture and design practice working globally to create innovative, community driven spaces. Founded and led by Glenn DeRoche, who brings over 15 years of experience delivering major cultural, civic, and commercial projects, the studio delivers work across various scales, from buildings to objects.
Previous Awards Won:
Créateur Design Awards 2026, Créateur Select AR Emerging Awards 2025, Nomination Créateurs Design Award 2025, Best Project Photography Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction 2023, Gold - Middle East and Africa Architect's Newspaper's 2024 Best in Design Awards, Editor's Pick AR Old into New Award 2023, Nomination
Créateur Design Awards 2026, Créateur Select AR Emerging Awards 2025, Nomination Créateurs Design Award 2025, Best Project Photography Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction 2023, Gold - Middle East and Africa Architect's Newspaper's 2024 Best in Design Awards, Editor's Pick AR Old into New Award 2023, Nomination
