Participants in the 2014 Mud House Design competition were challenged to design a single-family unit built using earth and local labour from the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Organised by the Africa-focused non-profit Nka Foundation, the international architecture competition asked young graduates and students of architecture to reinvent the conventional mud hut and create an open source design that be could be easily achieved by local labourers.
The house had to fit an 18 x 18 metre plot and could cost no more than $6,000 to build.
Taking out the competition was M.A.M.O.T.H from France with their Sankofa House, a tall, barn-like structure that features a steep roof meant to combat heavy rains while minimizing direct sun exposure.
Second prize went to the Eban Aya concept by Atelier Koe in Senegal and the Ejisu Earth House by Jason Orbe-Smith from the USA was awarded third.
The top three designs will now be prototyped, using the labour efficient “poured earth” construction method (churning mud, clay, and a touch of cement in a concrete mixer, then pouring it into preconstructed molds).
The Nka Foundation is asking for volunteers to help realise the winning designs by joining the project as a workshop director or a participant in Ghana.
Courtesy Inhabitat
