Fair Trade Zone awarded Silver Medal at Fassa Bortolo Prize for Sustainable Architecture

The Fair Trade Zone in Akuse, Ghana, has been awarded the Silver Medal at the 2025 International Prize for Sustainable Architecture promoted by the University of Ferrara and Fassa Bortolo. Selected from over 80 entries, the jury, chaired by Marianne Burkhalter (Atelier Burkhalter Sumi, Zurich), recognized the project for its circular design logic, climate responsiveness, and community-led process.

Designed for the women-led cooperative Global Mamas, the campus integrates ethical manufacturing with sustainable agriculture, organizing textile, skincare, and papermaking production around modular earthen buildings, productive gardens, and on-site energy and water systems. Developed through participatory workshops, the architecture reflects the rhythms and needs of its users, offering a replicable model for regenerative industry in rural West Africa.

The award ceremony will take place on 15 October 2025 at Palazzo Tassoni Estense, Faculty of Architecture, University of Ferrara.

Photo: Juergen Benson-Strohmayer