Ghana Trash Turns Into Housing

Nestled on a quiet street in Abelenpke there is a house unlike any other. It is a house made 100% out of recycled materials, and starting the 23rd of June, the Wheel Story House is officially open for tours to the public.

Built more than twenty-five years ago, The Wheel Story House, is a testimonial to how Ghanaians and the world, in general, should start to rethink what is considered trash. Built entirely for scrap metal, stones and wood this unique house is one of the most creative houses in the world. Covered in a 2006 article by BBC, the junk architect Sammy Mensah Ansah, says that he hopes that his junk houses help people reconsider what they label as trash.

“When you think about it nothing is trash. The things we throw away can always be used to do something different, something artistic. Some people use trash for art, I use it to build,” said the eclectic junk architect.

Mr. Ansah has used everything from broken coffee cups, toilet bowls and tiles to make his home beautiful and everyone who visits agrees they have never seen anything like it before. Even the wooden floors and ceilings are made from old wooden soda and beer crates. He believes that by opening his house for tours more Ghanaians will look at alternative building supplies when building their homes. He also hopes that it inspires the youth and future leaders to think outside the box when they are solving complex issues, such as housing, which plagues many African countries.

Tours are offered Monday-Friday from 10 am -3pm and tours must be booked in advance since there are residents living on the property. To get a preview of the house you can visit the facebook page; Wheel Story House. For further information or enquiries please call 0244.669.851.