Backyard Community Club: A Grounded Model for Youth, Sport, and Sustainable Civic Life by DeRoche Projects

Backyard Community Club is a community-driven sports and social facility designed by DeRoche Projects in the Osu neighborhood of Accra. Developed in a context where access to public recreational infrastructure and green space is limited, the project proposes an alternative model for civic life—one rooted in sport, ecological stewardship, and local material innovation. Centered on a clay tennis court, the club is both a neighborhood landmark and a scalable prototype for inclusive, sustainable community architecture in Ghana.

At its core, Backyard Community Club is conceived as more than a sports venue. It operates as a youth-focused community space where training, mentorship, gathering, cultivation, and learning coexist. Built to international standards, the clay tennis court supports professional-level doubles play and serves as a high-quality training ground for athletes under 18. At the same time, the project expands access to the sport by offering free lessons to children from the surrounding community, embedding social equity into its very foundation.

The architectural identity of the project is defined by Ghana’s first application of a precast rammed earth construction system—a method pioneered by DeRoche Projects that reinterprets an ancestral material for contemporary, modular, and scalable use. The tennis court is wrapped by a rhythmic enclosure of four-meter-high precast rammed earth panels, locally fabricated and assembled to provide privacy without isolation. The porous enclosure reduces crosswinds, casts evolving shadow patterns, and creates a sheltered yet visually connected environment that balances openness with protection.

Within this earthen framework, ancillary spaces are seamlessly integrated. Shaded seating, changing rooms, outdoor preparation counters, showers, and a barbecue area support both athletic training and everyday community use. A built-in floating bench allows players and spectators to rest, observe matches, or review drills, reinforcing the social nature of the space. Showers are naturally lit and simply detailed, featuring planted niches that bring landscape into moments of recovery and routine.

Surrounding the court is a 230-square-meter sustenance garden cultivated with over 20 species of edible and medicinal plants, including guava, banana, lemongrass, peppermint, soursop, coconut, and blue pea flower. These species were selected not for ornamental value, but for their nutritional and recovery benefits. Young athletes participate in tending the garden, harvesting ingredients for juices, snacks, and shared meals, making cultivation an integral part of daily life. Through this cycle, the project embeds lessons of self-reliance, responsibility, and ecological awareness alongside athletic training.

Beyond formal training hours, the tennis court transforms into a flexible civic space. It accommodates community exercise, gardening activities, produce exchanges, evening gatherings, and even outdoor film screenings that bring professional tournaments and sports education into a context where access is otherwise limited. In this way, basketball and football are not replaced, but complemented—broadening the cultural landscape of sport and recreation.

Sustainability is fundamental to the project’s design and operation. Rammed earth construction significantly reduces embodied carbon while drawing on local knowledge and materials. Because clay courts require consistent water management, the project integrates a borehole system and redirected stormwater runoff to irrigate both the court and landscaped areas, minimizing dependence on municipal water. An earth slurry finish replaces conventional cement-based renders, offering a breathable, low-impact surface. All ancillary structures rely on passive strategies—natural light, cross-ventilation, and the stack effect—eliminating the need for air conditioning or mechanical extraction.

The precast rammed earth system represents a significant technical and cultural advancement. Traditional rammed earth construction is labor-intensive, slow, and weather-dependent, limiting its application at scale. By shifting fabrication off-site, the Backyard system allows for improved quality control, faster delivery, reduced waste, and compatibility with local transport and labor conditions. More than a construction method, it establishes a new framework for building sustainably from the ground itself.

Backyard Community Club demonstrates how architecture can act as a catalyst for social transformation. Through material honesty, environmental responsibility, and deep engagement with local builders, athletes, and educators, the project offers a compelling alternative to conventional sports facilities—one where community, culture, and sustainability are inseparable.

All the Photographs are works of Julien Lanoo