Inside Limbo Museum in Ghana: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025

‘The time has come to reimagine skeletal voids and envision new futures inside them,’ says Dominique Petit-Frère, co-founder of Limbo Accra. Over the previous six years, the spatial design studio has constructed a compelling portfolio centred on researching, archiving and reworking unfinished buildings, turning modern ruins into vibrant cultural venues. The studio’s output embodies the zeitgeist for rethinking the worldwide constructed setting. ‘The idea of wreck is central to our work, as we see it as a option to discover impermanence and transformation,’ says Petit-Frère.

Inside Limbo Museum and Limbo Accra’s work

Petit-Frère based the studio in 2018 with Emil Grip, deriving the title in reference to the in-between state of development in West Africa. In accordance with Petit-Frère, these buildings have been left in a state of ‘limbo’, and far of the studio’s work touches on the legacy of those present buildings. ‘Legacy isn’t simply concerning the buildings we depart behind, however the concepts, conversations and relationships they encourage,’ says Petit-Frère. The pair are fascinated with how forward-thinking interventions in present buildings can create new discussions and alternatives. ‘We’re impressed by the assumption that structure can form not simply bodily areas, however social and cultural realities.’

A career-defining second for Limbo Accra got here after they introduced ‘Tremendous Limbo’ on the second version of the Sharjah Structure Triennale in 2023. For the apply’s first world endeavor, they put in cloth varieties inside one of many UAE’s largest unfinished buildings. ‘We have been invited to activate the house for a few months, connecting West African modern structure to the Center East,’ says Petit-Frère. The constructing was a strong alternative for the apply to have interaction with a global viewers whereas additionally highlighting the potential of contemporary architectural ruins.

One other notable undertaking is The Liminal Archive, a digital database of incomplete buildings throughout the globe produced utilizing photogrammetry. Extra lately, Limbo Accra accomplished its first panorama undertaking, Duho Pavilion, which seeks to honour indigenous Caribbean individuals. For this undertaking, the duo put in 30 elegant steel poles at an deserted lodge within the Cayman Islands. ‘This was significantly thrilling as a result of it allowed us to discover a brand new realm of design and join the architectural
type of ruins with the pure setting in a very completely different means.’

Limbo Accra’s newest undertaking, Limbo Museum, imbues an incomplete house within the Accra neighbourhood of Labone with a brand new legacy. Based by the spatial design studio, in collaboration with curator Diallo Simon-Ponte and architect Lennart Wolff, the museum lives contained in the shell of an incomplete brutalist constructing. Boasting 600 sq m throughout two flooring, the scheme now features as a cultural hub, analysis lab and exhibition house the place structure and artwork meet. ‘Limbo Museum embodies the potential for a brand new method to structure in unfinished or neglected areas’ says Petit-Frère. ‘The constructing is designed to have interaction with Ghana’s shifting cultural, ecological and political landscapes whereas addressing themes of relevance on a world scale.’

The museum opened its doorways final November, however the concept for the constructing had been within the works because the duo began their studio in 2018. ‘We needed to rethink the position of establishments in architectural apply, and to create an area the place structure, artwork and design may intersect in new and radical methods,’ says Petit-Frère.

For the museum’s opening, there was a three-day summit that introduced collectively creatives similar to Ibrahim Mahama, Nana Biamah-Ofosu and Tosin Oshinowo, who mentioned archiving, preserving and the African constructed setting. As a part of the launch, the museum hosted a webinar on ‘Ruins and Knowledge Architectures’, in addition to panel discussions and guided excursions. ‘The summit was a name to motion to rethink what structure may be and the way we interact with the areas round us,’ says Petit-Frère. ‘It was essential for the opening week inauguration to be a time of listening and examine,’ says Simon-Ponte.

One of many museum’s important pillars is the Limbo Structure Lab, organised by Wolff. ‘The Lab just isn’t separate from the museum’s creative programme, however as an alternative converges and extends the creative initiatives,’ says the architect. The Museum will even host experimental analysis in architectural innovation in partnership with London’s Architectural Affiliation. ‘By way of partnerships with establishments just like the AA Visiting Faculty and the Kwame Nkrumah College of Science and Know-how, we hope to create long-term collaborations that enrich architectural schooling and apply in West Africa and past,’ provides Petit-Frère.

Transferring ahead, the Limbo Accra crew goals to create a programme of exhibitions, workshops and public occasions that may foster and develop group involvement. ‘We consider that the museum can contribute to the cultural and mental vitality of Accra, enriching each native and worldwide conversations about structure, artwork and sustainable improvement.’