The architecture of Ganvie is completely determined by external factors.

In order to save
themselves from the Fon fighters, who wanted to sell them as slaves, the locals took advantage of
the fact that the aggressors could not touch the water for religious reasons and built their village
on the water.
The most common buildings are dwellings housing one or more families. On the map you
can see the main public buildings such as schools, hotels and places of worship.
In order to make a distinction between the different spatial typologies we encountered, we
thought we would list the main factors that define architecture in the village and analyse some
examples.
As far as the function of a building is concerned, we said that the most common are the
dwellings, followed by public places, places of worship but also small annexed or not buildings
that have a storage role for fishermen.
Then, as regards the place where they are built, they can be on water or on land, and
there are also situations where the building is on water and on land at the same time.
The size of the building is also relevant and in this regard we have identified 3 types of
buildings, S and M being associated with houses that house one or more families, storage places
and L with public buildings of any type.
Another very relevant criterion is the material of the structure. Most of the structure is
made of wood, usually not timber, of different sizes. There are exceptions with concrete or steel
structures but they are more common on dry land.
Now based on these examples, we will go through different examples trying to present
the relatively small to large scale diversity of architecture while emphasizing the small details in
each example that say something about the people and culture of the village.
The first example is a house that probably accommodates a single family on a wooden
structure, an example that is also among the most common.
Based on this photo we can conclude not only about the architecture but also about the
way of life of the locals. For example, in this case it is worth mentioning the space on the right
side of the entrance which most likely meets the privacy minimum of a toilet. Then, the tin roof,
is very common in the village, as it is easier to replace and build than a reed roof, but still when
it heats up it affects the inside temperature. In the absence of space, functions and needs mix and
overlap. For example, in this case, the front portion of the house is probably used as a platform to
get off the boat, a terrace for the family but also a small storage and drying space for clothes.
More than likely these functions are fulfilled in turn throughout the day. Moving on, we
stopped on one of the largest buildings in Ghanaian, which is the mosque.We found it relevant to
analyze because it is a good example of a public place, which hosts many people and at the same
time has a concrete structure on water. We found the photo interesting because in the foreground
we see a building in the process of construction, with a structure similar to that of the mosque
and probably an annex of it. The elements present on the mosque such as the small overhang on
the top level and the sunscreen on the windows indicate a concern for the burning sun in Ganvie.
I also assumed that the minarets function as wind catchers helping the indoor climate.
The last example examined is a small shack on a concrete structure that is probably used
to store fishermen's tools or other goods. Here you can see the concrete pillar structure half on
the water, half on the ground but which has wood as the envelope. At the back you can see the
canal that probably runs through the whole village. Above the entrance portion you can see a
small piece covered with board to protect from the sun. The sun is the main factor influencing
the architecture of the village.