ive been fascinated by the construction techniques in morocco, like in most developing countries you make due with what is around but moroccans take that to the extreme; raising a house literally out of the ground. when i was told i would be living in a mudhouse i imagined monkeys swinging through the kitchen and snakes slithering over my feet as i slept, but i am amazed by the polish and comfort of a well built mud house. from the inside there is no way to tell that the walls are anything but drywall, builders cover the interior with a perfectly smooth coat of gypsum and paint. environmentally speaking they are the perfect home for dry climates and possibly for everywhere. the thermal properties make for cool summer days and warm winter mornings, during the heat of the day everyone retreats inside for relief from the 100+ degree midday sun, often the house is 10-15 degrees cooler than outside. the foundation is merely a stacked rock wall about 2' high, then a two-panel box (used for tamping the dirt) is built atop the base. next, dirt from the site is piled into baskets and hoisted onto workers heads and walked to the "packing box." another worker stands in the box with a homemade tamper and tamps the loose dirt into hardpacked walls. i while away full days watching the house that is going up near my home. 
after the walls are completed long timbers are laid across the span and rivercane is used to cover the openings and then another layer of packed mud is formed on the top to seal and waterproof the room. its an amazing use of basic technologies and local materials to build a highly functional and adaptable structure. and if you ever want a window in your new home all you need is a pickax!!! (more pictures to come)
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