Mud Huts, the buildings of the future?

At some point or another, you may have come across someone comparing ‘great’ Western architecture to what some falsely deem as the ‘primitive’ mud huts of Africa. But if we take the time to learn about mud huts and why they can be an innovative form of architecture, we can realise that despite what the West has traditionally taught us mud huts are certainly not primitive and should not be a thing of the past.

If you remember in one of my previous blogs I touched on the idea of using mud as a construction material and its benefits for example, walls made from mud have a high thermal mass meaning they absorb heat slowly and store it, preventing the interior of the house from becoming too hot during the day but then during the night, when it becomes cooler outside they can release the heat keeping the interior warm. (Insider, 2020) This unlike timber (a common building material in the 21st century) limits our need to use air conditioning. In the south of Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa is Tiébélé; a small village containing many circular buildings, the village houses one of the oldest ethnic groups in West Africa; the Kassena tribe. (The Painted Houses of Tiébélé: A Model for Communal Collaboration, 2023)

The Painted Houses of Tiébélé

Another example is the Musgum from Cameroon, they create their 9 metre tall homes from compressed sun-dried mud and on top of them is a pierced circular opening that allows air to circulate around the home. Then when it rains the beautiful, raised geometric patterns on the outside of the building acts as steps to reach the top of the home and seal the opening. (Chin, 2010)

The Houses of the Musgum People

Circular constructions have many benefits over rectangular constructions. First of all, they are easier to build; in addition, circles also have a larger area than squares with the same perimeter, thus fewer materials for a bigger home, to be specific (15–20% less material is needed to create the same size building compared to a rectangular design.) A round house also has dozen of interconnecting points meaning they are more flexible so they are more earthquake resistant, and as if this wasn’t enough tsunamis will also naturally move around circles as there aren’t any corners to get caught to, the same applies to wind which, consequently makes the building soundproof from the outside and inside. (Cardwell, 2020)

Before ending this blog I would like to make one last point. Although it may be obvious, using natural materials is much more sustainable in comparison to using concrete which, after water is the most widely used substance on earth. It is extremely harmful towards the earth and it is said to be responsible for 4-8% of the world’s CO2. On top of this, more than 8bn tonnes of concrete are produced every 2 years and the extraction of sand for concrete is responsible for destroying whole ecosystems all over the world. (Watts, 2019) Concrete has become our way of taming nature, it is one of the most destructive materials on earth, and in this day and age, we are facing a climate crisis so it is fair to say that eventually, we are going to have to look at people who have seen the earth as a friend and ally rather than something that should be annihilated, destroyed and conquered, before it is too late…

Bibliography:

The Painted Houses of Tiébélé: A Model for Communal Collaboration. (2023, June 23). ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1002826/the-painted-houses-of-tiebele-a-model-for-communal-collaboration

Round African Mud House. (n.d.). LivingTheAncestralWay. https://abenaoffehgyimah.com/blog/56owbstkek2x8d6pzlu4vkg586ko9d

The Painted Houses of Tiébélé: A Model for Communal Collaboration. (2023, June 23). ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1002826/the-painted-houses-of-tiebele-a-model-for-communal-collaboration

Cardwell, C. (2020, March 4). Why Round Buildings are Better. The Naked Architect. https://medium.com/the-naked-architect/why-round-buildings-are-better-58180fc3cb38

Chin, A. (2010, February 18). musgum earth architecture. Designboom | Architecture & Design Magazine. https://www.designboom.com/architecture/musgum-earth-architecture/

Watts, J. (2019, February 25). Concrete: the most destructive material on Earth. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth

Insider, T. A. (2020, May 5). Mud: An Eco-Friendly Construction Materials. The Arch Insider. https://thearchinsider.com/mud-an-eco-friendly-construction-materials/

Image Credits:

‌The Painted Houses of Tiébélé: A Model for Communal Collaboration. (2023, June 23). ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1002826/the-painted-houses-of-tiebele-a-model-for-communal-collaboration

‌A--D -- Mousgoum dwellings. (n.d.). Architectureindevelopment.org. https://architectureindevelopment.org/project/68

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