Paris architects Laetitia Delubac and Christian Félix have completed a holiday home and guest house in Siwa, Egypt. Called Ecolodge and situated overlooking the desert, the building is constructed from locally-available materials including mud, sun-fired bricks, palm wood, reeds and stone.The walls are made of a traditional local building material called kershef that consists of mud, sand and salt from the nearby salt lakes.

Walls are built by local craftsmen with kershef, a traditional building material made out of mud, sand, and sun-dried salt harvested from the Siwa’s salt lakes. In addition to blending in with the surrounding natural environment, kershef acts as a natural insulator, keeping indoor air temperatures mild in both hot and cold seasons.

No electricity in the house. Niches have been installed within the thick walls in kershef to place candles.

A spring spurting out in the bottom of the mountain, not very far in the south, irrigates the palm grove and continuously feeds the kitchen and bathrooms with fresh and healthy water, as well as a small pool and the basin at the centre of the peristyle intended for cooling the courtyard and adjacent rooms.

Waste water treatment is ensured with reed grove.

The tower, master room of the property has a natural air conditioning system using draughts: warm air in the rooms is vented within its two walls for fresh air coming from evaporation of water of the basin in the centre of the courtyard.

It welcomes the owner’s suite and dominates the whole house. The terrace roof offers panoramic views of the exceptional landscape.

Article via Dezeen