Third Place: Ejisu Earth House by Jason Orbe-Smith “I wanted to use references without mimicking history,” says Los Angeles architect Jason Orbe-Smith, whose Ejisu Earth House plays with traditional shapes and symbols. The exterior, a concept modeled after historical examples of rammed-earth buildings, includes traditional symbols of the Ashanti people which have been patterned and pixelated. “I was excited by researching African architecture,” he says. “I wanted to make the lushness of the tropics part of my design.” Photo 5 of 6 in Modern Mud Homes: A New Take on Building in Ghana by Patrick Sisson

Modern Mud Homes: A New Take on Building in Ghana

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Third Place: Ejisu Earth House by Jason Orbe-Smith

“I wanted to use references without mimicking history,” says Los Angeles architect Jason Orbe-Smith, whose Ejisu Earth House plays with traditional shapes and symbols. The exterior, a concept modeled after historical examples of rammed-earth buildings, includes traditional symbols of the Ashanti people which have been patterned and pixelated. “I was excited by researching African architecture,” he says. “I wanted to make the lushness of the tropics part of my design.”