Place-Mali, Sahara Desert.
What is generally know about the Sahara desert is that its made up of sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, houses tend to be made from mud and clay. They seem to be built by hand and left to dry in the sun, there are small amounts of wood, where necessary, and decorated inside with carpets, furniture and traditional ornaments.
Obviously they build with mud and clay because there is almost nothing else for miles, and it is easier to build with these materials then to go and find others. They are hand crafted because there aren't many tools that could be used out there. They're one storey tall with flat roofs and light colour. They have approximately one door way, several small windows and a wooden skeleton.
The kind of house I would build would be two storeys tall to allow for some overhang to provide shade, this will keep the inside cool, then since warm air rises I would have high roofs to allow keep the warm air away from the inhabitants. But its not just about keeping heat away, the nights in the Sahara are very cold so to keep any warm air in the house would have thick walls to insulate the heat during the night and to keep in the cool air in during the day. The walls on the interior would be thinner to allow for optimal space so the air flows easily through the house, the exterior walls would be made of stone as it can withstand desert conditions and would be painted white to reflect the heat and the roof would have solar panels to absorb the energy from the sun. Any outdoor spaces would have good coverage from the sun and sand.
It is easy for me to think of a house like this but for people actually living there it is harder, they cant make a living as easily so take my opinion with a grain of salt as sometimes you cant build exactly what you want.
What is generally know about the Sahara desert is that its made up of sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, houses tend to be made from mud and clay. They seem to be built by hand and left to dry in the sun, there are small amounts of wood, where necessary, and decorated inside with carpets, furniture and traditional ornaments.
Obviously they build with mud and clay because there is almost nothing else for miles, and it is easier to build with these materials then to go and find others. They are hand crafted because there aren't many tools that could be used out there. They're one storey tall with flat roofs and light colour. They have approximately one door way, several small windows and a wooden skeleton.
The kind of house I would build would be two storeys tall to allow for some overhang to provide shade, this will keep the inside cool, then since warm air rises I would have high roofs to allow keep the warm air away from the inhabitants. But its not just about keeping heat away, the nights in the Sahara are very cold so to keep any warm air in the house would have thick walls to insulate the heat during the night and to keep in the cool air in during the day. The walls on the interior would be thinner to allow for optimal space so the air flows easily through the house, the exterior walls would be made of stone as it can withstand desert conditions and would be painted white to reflect the heat and the roof would have solar panels to absorb the energy from the sun. Any outdoor spaces would have good coverage from the sun and sand.
It is easy for me to think of a house like this but for people actually living there it is harder, they cant make a living as easily so take my opinion with a grain of salt as sometimes you cant build exactly what you want.
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