DeRoche Projects completes rammed earth tennis court in ghana
Backyard Community Club in Accra, Ghana, designed by DeRoche Projects, introduces a model for community space in a city with limited access to green and recreational areas. Centered on a clay tennis court, the project combines sport, learning, and ecological practice within a compact urban site. It also represents Ghana’s first use of a precast rammed earth system, adapting a traditional building material for contemporary, scalable construction.
The most significant technical leap of the project lies in the pioneering use of precast rammed earth panels, developed specifically for Ghana’s climatic and labor conditions. Traditional rammed earth, while sustainable, is typically slow and weather-dependent, limiting its use in large-scale projects. The architects introduce off-site fabrication, which allows for controlled production, precision, and faster delivery. Panels are modular, easily transported, and adaptable to future sites, presenting a replicable model for sustainable construction in the region. ‘We wanted the architecture to carry the same sense of purpose as the programming, grounded, expressive, and innovative,’ adds Glenn DeRoche.
all images by Julien Lanoo
in Backyard Community club, training meets togetherness
Set within a compact urban plot in Osu, the Backyard Community Club includes spaces for training, gathering, and cultivation. A clay tennis court at its heart provides a professional-standard environment for athletes under 18, while free lessons open access to the sport for local children. A floating bench embedded along the shaded perimeter doubles as both seating and an observation deck, encouraging informal exchange between players and community. Around the court, simple ancillary spaces, changing rooms, showers, outdoor counters, and barbecue areas integrate into the landscape, designed with natural light and cross-ventilation rather than mechanical systems.
Wrapped in a 4-meter-high rhythmic enclosure of precast rammed earth panels, the modular structure filters wind and casts intricate shadows. ‘Backyard is about more than tennis, it’s about creating a platform for youth, for mentorship, and for community,’ says Glenn DeRoche, creative director of the team at DeRoche Projects. ‘We developed a custom precast system that acts as both structure and expression, pushing construction to meet the ambition of a purpose-built community space. The architecture is deliberately open-ended, where lines between sport, gathering, learning, and rest are blurred.’
Backyard Community Club in Ghana introduces a model for community space
A Living Landscape of Nourishment and Sustainability
Extending from the court, a 230-square-meter sustenance garden cultivates more than twenty species of edible and medicinal plants, including guava, banana, lemongrass, peppermint, soursop, and coconut. Its purpose is practical rather than ornamental, as it nourishes young athletes while teaching ecological responsibility. Youth also learn to tend and harvest alongside training. Ingredients are used for juices, snacks, and community meals prepared on site, while the garden itself becomes a social ground for exchange and self-reliance. When not in use for matches or training, the court transforms into a multipurpose community space for exercise, produce markets, outdoor screenings, and evening gatherings.
Sustainability operates at both material and systemic levels. The project prioritizes low-carbon, locally sourced materials, using rammed earth to enclose the clay court while reducing reliance on imported or energy-intensive components. Because clay courts require consistent moisture, the team implemented a borehole system and stormwater harvesting strategy to irrigate both the playing surface and the surrounding vegetation, minimizing use of municipal water. An earth slurry finish replaces conventional cement render, allowing the walls to breathe while lowering embodied carbon. Passive ventilation and natural daylighting eliminate the need for air conditioning, ensuring low operational energy across all structures.
centered on a clay tennis court, the project combines sport, learning, and ecological practice
Ghana’s first use of a precast rammed earth system
the modular structure filters wind and casts intricate shadows
adapting a traditional building material for contemporary, scalable construction
precast rammed earth panels are developed specifically for Ghana’s climatic and labor conditions
a replicable model for sustainable construction in the region
a 230-square-meter sustenance garden cultivates more than twenty species of edible and medicinal plants
the court transforms into a multipurpose community space for exercise, produce markets and more
project info:
name: Backyard Community Club
architect: DeRoche Projects | @derocheprojects
location: Osu, Accra, Ghana, West Africa
photographer: Julien Lanoo | @julienlanoo
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