In celebration of Ghana’s 61st year of independence, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo revealed designs for a National Cathedral of Ghana to be built in Accra. The government appointed Ghanian British architect David Adjaye to design the project. Adjaye rose to international prominence for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The new multi-faith landmark will be a multifunctional space home to Africa’s first Bible Museum and Documentation Center as well as venue for presidential inaugurations and state funerals.
The new National Cathedral will be built on a 15-acre landscaped site next to Osu Cemetery. Envisioned by Adjaye as a “physical embodiment of unity, harmony and spirituality,” the multi-faith building will house a series of grand chapels, baptistery, two-story 5000-seat auditorium, music school, central hall, choir facilities, art gallery, retail, and other multipurpose space. The building’s adornments and furnishings will be designed in collaboration with Ghanaian and African artists.
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A new ceremonial route and landscape will link the Cathedral to prominent Accra landmarks including Independence Square, the State House, and Africa Unity Circle. “It is an immense honour to be granted the opportunity to contribute something of this scale and import to my home country,” said Adjaye. “I have sought to craft a building that not only understands its landscape but one that will be unique to Accra and the Ghanaian Nation.”
Via ArchDaily
Images via Adjaye Associates
