Completely disconnected from electricity and made with salt, mud, sun-fired bricks, palm wood, reeds and stone, the Ecolodge seems to hail from another time. In many ways, however, this modest residence and guesthouse represents the future of sustainable design and architecture

Situated in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt, the Ecolodge's surroundings were fundamental to its design and dictated many elements, including the materials used, construction methods employed, spatial arrangement and aesthetic. As architect Laetitia Delubac explains: "The Ecolodge was built with the same materials, colours and conditions as the site it is on... It looks as if it was always there."

In fact, the entire lodge was constructed with locally-sourced materials using age-old building practices. No easy task, this required Delubac and her partner Christian Felix to adopt an entirely new approach. Designed as a "composition of volumes", the architects had to envision ways to counteract the imperfections that would result from using these materials and consider the imprecision involved with this type of construction compared to the accuracy of more modern methods.

They also had to deal with floors that were unable to bear much weight and a need for extra thick walls. As Felix says, "based on these constraints, we designed the Ecolodge as an addition of separate rooms with thick walls, windows and niches." However, despite these difficulties, the architects were able to master the unprocessed materials and old techniques without sacrificing design, managing to give the Ecolodge an intriguing and unique aesthetic . "Even though it has just been finished, it looks as if it was always part of the landscape" at the same time, it doesn't look like any other construction in the Egyptian desert," Delubac says.

And indeed it would be very difficult to build the Ecolodge anywhere else in the world. Using materials literally found around the site, Felix and Delubac employed local craftsmen to turn them into matter fit for construction. Not only did this mean that there was no need for environmentally hazardous importing or exporting, the methods used to transform the raw materials themselves had little to no negative effect on the environment.

As an added bonus, this also bought down the cost of construction quite drastically. "From the very beginning, we decided to use those natural materials that were available in the oasis, not only for ecological and aesthetic integration reasons, but for also practical and economical ones since the spot is very remote," says Delubac.

The main material, kershef, is a combination of soil, sand and sun-dried salt harvested from salt lakes found in the Siwa Oasis. This 'pasty mix' was then rolled into balls, dried and stacked to form walls, in much the same way that builders in the area had done for centuries.

Uneven and rough to touch, these kershef walls are exposed to sandy winds; thus, window glass is protected with thin opalescent plates that also filter sunlight, casting mellow light inside the lodge.

Another major challenge of the design was finding a way to ensure the lodge was habitable throughout the year, even during the hot summer months. "We gave the question of how to enjoy this house, day or night, winter or summer, a great deal of thought. We proposed that the owners double the habitable areas, so that each closed room has its 'double' in the open air," Delubac says.

In other words, for each space within the house, there is an equal amount of usable space outside. For example, the amount of space for patios is the same amount of space used in rooms; the pergola and courtyard areas complement the living room and there is both an indoor and outdoor dining room. As a result, at any time of day, residents will be able to find a space that is a comfortable temperature.

Also an important part of the lodge's cooling method, a natural spring located close to the site was used to help reduce air temperatures in the courtyard. "The spring continuously feeds the palm grove with fresh water to create a basin, which cools the air of the courtyard by evaporation," says Felix.

The double wall of the tower is another integral part of the passive cooling system, drawing cool air upwards from a water basin. Again, this is a reinterpretation of a technique that was used in the area before the days of electricity and air conditioning units.

While it was the first time Felix and Delubac worked with these specific materials and techniques, the construction principle behind the Ecolodge" using local materials and techniques that specifically suit the climate" is something they try to do as much as possible, hopefully helping people to rethink their relationship to the environment and to more carefully consider how they consume.

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