In 2016 Lida Lioupi and Penny Stergiopoulou, two recent graduates of the School of Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, won a distinction at the 4th Earth Architecture International Competition 'School for Ghana,' set up by the Ghanaian nonprofit NKA Foundation.
Lida's and Penny's design for a handmade classroom for Ghana involved the use of local and recycled materials and traditional construction techniques.
The construction project was carried out in Sang, capital of the Mion District in Northern Ghana from July 1 till October 15, 2017.
During 14 weeks, 40 volunteers, the majority of whom came from Greece, worked alongside skilled local builders and community volunteers, most of whom were students.
Duration: 14 weeks
Budget: € 11000
Volunteers: 40, most from Greece
Skilled local workers: on average, 3 per week
Community volunteers: over 200, most of them schoolchildren
Large plastic bottles filled with earth: 3500
Small plastic bottles filled with earth: 4000