MUD HOUSE | Alexey Boev

People from Ashanti region in Ghana believe that houses made from mud are for the poor and could not create beauty and good living conditions for long-term. These houses are not enough protected from the rain and large surfaces of mud or concrete are not flexible enough and has tendency to crack. SUMSUM mud house gives a new view on mud as a constructive material, revealing its architectural potential. At the same time the concept is a fresh look at traditional lifestyle of people in Ghana not only on the level of the building itself, but also focused on possibilities of creating diverse urban patterns.

ARCHITECTURE
SUMSUM house is a new interpretation of traditional house in Ghana, where usually four small houses are grouped around central open space, creating urban unit – block. In SUMSUM concept by rotating courtyard on 45°, four separate volumes – rooms were created for better adhesion concrete (foundation) and earth (walls), minimizing cracking of materials. These four rooms are connected with a gallery around the courtyard – the core of the house – and they together are intended to be used as a flexible living area in every weather conditions. Niches in the walls serve as small storage spaces. One of four rooms is pulled to the inside, that creates a semi-open space on a corner of the plot, which gives a possibility for everyday interaction between the inhabitants of neighboring houses and serves as a transition space between the street and private house.

URBAN STRATEGY
Analysis of Ghanaian townships in Ashanti region, around the ‘garden city’ of Kumasi, showed that all them have identical urban structure from compound houses. Suburb Ejisu-Juaben is not an exception. Rectangular blocks with a courtyard in the middle are organized in a grid, surrounded by the landscape of various trees and plants. Disadvantage of this structure is that it doesn’t provide space for social life, for everyday interactions. Streets are just pathways. SUMSUM urban strategy aims to create transition space between house and a street, between private and public, creating outside spaces for possible social interactions and activities, at the same time protecting private life from interference. It’s a reactivation of existing urban pattern, giving new perspectives for inhabitants of Ejisu-Juaben. By orienting open corners differently, SUNSUM house design is flexible enough to create numerous variants of interaction points.

MATERIALISATION
SUMSUM mud house is constructed using two different techniques of compressed and rammed earth. Outside walls are from 300 to 600mm thick, made from rammed earth. The compressed earth blocks (hand press) have high constructive quality for walls, floor blocks and vaults. Open masonry of outer walls, connecting four rooms, brings visual inside-outside relation. House is covered with zinc plates for protection of the mud in a way, that atmosphere of mud building remains. Support structure gives the impression of floating roof and provides house with thermal isolation.

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