Why did Africans build round mud huts?

In today's popular culture, mud houses are considered less advanced or backward. On the other hand, houses made from concrete or any other type of ‘durable’ material symbolize prosperity. We cannot deny that building a concrete house in an African village comes with a sense of accomplishment for the family involved.

But have we stopped and asked ourselves why our ancestors built with mud instead?

Before the arrival of Europeans, Africans across the continent used mud as their main building material. This was combined with wood, grass, and other materials available in their environment. In most cases, they built round huts. It is not a surprise that there is a reason this shape was adopted. It was not by chance!

There is a little-known myth outlining this:

African architectural philosophy is said to have evolved around building structures that are in harmony with nature. This was after a catastrophe hit the continent forcing many communities to migrate southwards. As they did so, they tried to establish settlements. The men got to work and constructed the houses but as soon as they were done, strong wings and other geographical forces destroyed the settlement. They decided to move to a different place but the same forces of nature destroyed everything. They kept doing this until they decided to consult the oracle.

The response was; that the natural forces that were destroying these buildings were feminine and by letting the women do the construction, the forces of nature would be more collaborative. Since women were mostly concerned with the traditional crafts of pottery and basket weaving, they transferred these designs to the houses. Instead of building square-shaped houses like the men, they built round-shaped structures with a conical roof thatched with grass. These structures survived the violent climate, when the wind blew, it blew around it, when it flooded, the water simply made its way around the huts. When the second migration happened, they carried these traditions with them to other parts of Africa.

Earthen buildings come with their advantages. Mud is an excellent insulator keeping houses cool during the hot days and warm during cold nights. It is a locally available and inexpensive material, reducing construction costs significantly. Building with mud has also been proven to have a low environmental impact since it requires minimal energy to source and process compared to industrial materials.

One person who has re-imagined this philosophy is Diébédo Francis Kéré, a Burkinabe architect who builds with mud and other locally found materials. In 2022, he became the first African to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize. This award was for a school he built in his home village known as Gando. You see, schools in Burkina Faso were usually built with concrete. Being a relatively hot climate, classrooms would often get hot and uncomfortable. Kéré decided to use locally made clay bricks. The layout of the building was inspired by traditional rural housing in Burkina Faso; the classrooms encircled the courtyard to shield the students from dust and sand blown by the Harmattan winds. There’s more: A structure open on one side allows the breeze to enter, this is then cooled through pipes and enters the classrooms through holes on the floor. In the true African philosophy of Ubuntu, the local community participated in the construction project.

Here in Kenya, a prime example of his work would be the Startup Lions Campus in Turkana. The building is inspired by towering mounds built by termites in this region. Tall ventilation towers leverage the stack effect to naturally cool the main workspaces by channeling warm air upwards, while fresh air enters through specially designed low-level openings. Again, collaboration with the local community was key to the success of the project.

Should we consider returning to our roots and using local materials for construction?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.