2024 - The Eclipse Amphitheater

The Eclipse Amphitheater was designed with the phenomenon of annular solar eclipse where in the moon passes directly between the Earth and Sun, but does not completely cover the Sun’s disk leaving the portion of the earth within the moon shadow shaded from the sun heat. In this project, water was predominantly used as a roofing feature to interrupt the sun`s insolation and hence provide shade beneath the space. The proposed site for this project is on the University of Developmental Studies (UDS) campus in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana – West Africa. Ghana falls under the tropics with a latitude of 7.9465° N, and a longitude of 1.0232° W. Generally, atmospheric temperature in Ghana is high but then temperatures in the northern part of Ghana, where the proposed project site is, are relatively high compared to the southern parts. In designing this project, a particular attention was given to creating a space which allows light in without increasing heat gain hence increasing comfortability. To achieve this, the building envelope was designed with a lot of vertical openings to allow more light in but then to reduce heat gain into the space, the roofing system was projected beyond the walls to shade the interior from the direct sun radiation. Heat gain through the walls was also reduced using the vertical fan shaped element which when subjected to wind load, rotates to generate power. Now with the roof, it was designed with a water feature and a wide oculus of radius of about 2 meters. While the oculus allow light into the space, the water pond uses the principle of latent heat of vaporization to provide a cooling effect for the seating underneath and the same time allow some sunlight to pass through into the space. The water acts as a heat moderator because of the high latent heat of vaporization and heat storage capacity. The roof has two set of pond with a stainless steel pipe linking the two. To further reduced heat gained through the roof, the slated part of the roof which projects beyond the building wall has mud as its main material and woven wood as it structural support. The mud is then cladded with cement to reduced its erosion. Mud is a local material which is massively used in the northern parts of Ghana especially in the Upper East region. In Ghana’s drier north, most mud buildings are round and have straw roofs. This informed the round shape building form of the facility. In recent years, sustainable building practices have gained popularity and one of the most traditional and eco-friendly building materials is mud. Mud is a natural and abundant material in the northern part of Ghana that does not require much energy to manufacture or transport. The insulation capabilities of contemporary mud as a building material are one of their most significant benefits. Because of its excellent thermal mass, mud can store and release heat slowly, maintaining a stable interior temperature throughout the day. This means mud houses are warm in winter and cool in summer, reducing the need for heating and cooling systems. This makes the building energy – efficient. Another advantage of modern mud houses is that they are highly customizable. Mud can be molded into any shape and size and mixed with other natural materials like straw or rice husks to create different textures and finishes. Talking of energy, some other renewable source of energy strategies was implemented. First of all, the slated part of the roof has some solar panels installed with their batteries installed at the space under the indoor seating. The solar panels were inculcated into the facility in other to make maximum use of the high solar insolation of this tropical region. Solar energy generation’s minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is one of the main benefits of this renewable energy source. Still on energy, the exterior walls of the building have wind energy generating element. This fan shaped element is made of recycled plastic bottles making it light and easy to rotate freely. It has a stainless steel at its center for rotation. Wind load turns the propeller-like blades around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity. These renewable energy strategies were put in place in order for the facility to be independent in terms of power supply. The energy generated can then be used to supply electricity for sockets inside the theater and also to supply power for pumping water on site into the pond on the roof. All these makes the building a net zero building and hence contribute to the realization of the United Nations sustainable development goals specifically the seventh goal which talks about affordable and clean energy. The purpose of this facility is to enhance student’s socialization among other student social activities.