A quick, visual post, sharing pictures of these inherently, necessarily practical; beautifully and intricately decorated earth houses in Burkina Faso:

Made from a mix of clay, soil, straw and cow dung, the mortar is layered to create walls thick enough to withstand both extreme heat and rain. What’s so immediately attractive are the intricate patterns: painted onto the walls with coloured mud and chalk, these give each hand-crafted house a unique character.

All pictures courtesy of Design Boom; see more pictures and text here