Carter Residence — Art Deco House, Oyarifa
Designed for a Jamaican–Canadian client returning to build in West Africa, the Carter Residence explores a contemporary reinterpretation of Caribbean Art Deco within the landscape of Oyarifa, Greater Accra. The house is elevated to improve ventilation, manage seasonal water conditions, and establish a sense of civic presence, while accommodating a multigenerational family program that includes three bedrooms and a master suite. Drawing inspiration from Jamaican Art Deco precedents, most notably the Carib Theatre, the design translates curved forms, layered massing, and expressive geometry into a modern domestic scale. A central glazed sunroom acts as both climatic moderator and social heart, mediating between interior life and the surrounding landscape. The project balances familiarity and experimentation, using Art Deco as a cultural bridge between Jamaica, Ghana, and the contemporary African diaspora.
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Location: Oyarifa, Lanmma District, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
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Project type: Private residence / single-family home
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Role: Architect; full design authorship
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Program: Master suite, three additional bedrooms, shared family spaces, and sunroom.
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Scope: Concept design, architectural design, massing and façade development
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Status: Design under construction.
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Context: Commissioned by a Jamaican–Canadian returnee inspired by Ghana’s cultural re-emergence and pan-African reconnection, influenced by contemporary diaspora narratives such as those shared by cultural commentator and filmmaker Wode Maya, who the client admires.
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Why it mattered: The project demonstrates how architectural heritage can be reinterpreted across geographies, using Art Deco as a shared cultural language to connect Caribbean identity with contemporary West African domestic architecture