The Wheel Story House is the largest and oldest home made from recyclable materials in West Africa. The amusing structure is made up of waste from the Tema Port, old abandoned gas stations and discarded electrical wheels.
Samuel Mensah Ansah, one of the greatest architects in West Africa who has decided to singlehandedly fight plastic waste pollution in Ghana is the owner of this amusing building.
Situated in Abelempke a suburb of Accra, the house is comprised of broken coffee cups, discarded stones and timber, shipping containers and discarded electrical spools. The Wheel Story House is the largest and oldest home made from reclaimed and reused materials in West Africa. Consisting of 12 apartments, this architectural wonder is the perfect illustration of how one man’s trash really can be another man’s treasure.
Samuel views his house not as an architectural masterpiece, but more of an artistic masterpiece that is forever growing and he hopes that those visiting the Wheel Story house understand that nothing should be considered waste. He also hopes that people use his home as a starting point to stimulate their own trash creations.
‘I am an artist, I just create beautiful things for people to enjoy. It just so happens that I am able to mix my talent with building” he emphatically said.
Samuel believes that when much thought is put into this innovation, one would realize that, nothing is waste. Everything can be reused someway, you just have to think about how. “I know that what I have created here is just a starting point, some will come and see it and do better, this story is not just for me, it’s for the entire world, most importantly Africa.”
Known as the Ghanaian ‘junk architect’, Sammy Mensah Ansah, constructed the Wheel Story house 15 years ago, describing it as an artistic treasure that makes you see the beauty in everyday waste.
The house is opened for public tours with the hope of inspiring people to recycle waste product which could be used to make so many valuable things. If you are a fan of art and creativity, this is definitely a place to visit.
REFERENCES:
1. Nayaba Arinde(2019), the beauty and importance of the W.E.B DuBois centre for Pan- African culture, Amsterdam news.
2. TimeOut(2013), the W.E.B DuBois Memorial centre.
3. Available online at, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dubois/#DuBoisLifeMajoPubl.
