A COMMUNITY PARK for the TOWN of AKYEM ODA, GHANA By
THE THREE AKYEM: A COMMUNITY PARK FOR THE TOWN OF AKYEM ODA, GHANA by ALEXANDER NAGEL (Under the Direction of Pratt Cassity) ABSTRACT This thesis presents a program and design for a new community park for Akyem Oda, a small town in the rain forest region of Ghana. The town was visited two times in 2004 and 2005 as part of the ongoing yearly Summer Service-Learning Studio during which time a site inventory was performed. Background research for the program development included geography and history of Ghana with a special focus on the Asante kingdom, traditional building techniques, land planning and an exploration of Akyem history in relationship to the dominant kingdom of Asante. A photo documentation of the main features of Akyem Oda and their spatial relationships to each other completes the research part of this thesis. The program for the proposed ‘Three Akyem Community Park’ integrates a Parade Ground, a Cultural Center and three Groves representing each of the three Akyem people on the 8.9 acres rectilinear site. INDEX WORDS: Africa, Akyem Oda, Architecture, Asante, Cultural Center, Community Park, Courtyard House, Diaspora, Ghana, Grove, Land Planning, Parade Ground, Service-Learning, Tourism THE THREE AKYEM: A COMMUNITY PARK FOR THE TOWN OF AKYEM ODA, GHANA by ALEXANDER NAGEL Diploma, Tuebingen University, Germany, 1996 M.S., The University of Georgia, 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2007 © 2007 Alexander Nagel All Rights Reserved THE THREE AKYEM: A COMMUNITY PARK FOR THE TOWN OF AKYEM ODA, GHANA by ALEXANDER NAGEL Major Professor: Pratt Cassity Committee: Mary Anne Akers Karim Traore Jennifer Perissi Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2007 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people who in different ways helped me along the way towards completion of my program and this thesis.
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