Three Two Mudhouse

Contemporary Mudhouse
In collaboration with Christopher Tomasetti, Angela Yang, Manuel Cordero
Abetenim Village, Ejisu-Juaben District, Ghana

Born out of a competition proposal, Three Two Mudhouse is a prototype exploring the exciting possibilities and revival of mud construction in contemporary design. Our design draws inspiration from traditional Ghanaian courtyard houses. It is centered around a structural logic of L-shaped pillars, made of cast earth (a mixture of mud and cement), that are multiplied and rotated to form interior and exterior spaces. Celebrating the plasticity of poured cast earth, we used bamboo as our formwork, which was reused for landscaping. Within the cast earth pillars is an infill of cobb wall, a local building technique called aptapame (a mixture of mud and straw) that is shaped by the hands of our workers. A double roof system – ceiling tiles below and corrugated metal roof above – was implemented for sound attenuation, heat reduction and aesthetic.

We funded the project through Kickstarter, and constructed the mudhouse with a team of nearly 30 local workers and international volunteers. We formed relationships and bonds that strengthened our process and our projects – making this their project just as much as ours. 

Construction Drawings

Competition Design Drawings