26-07-2016
Luigi Rosselli Architects The Great Wall of WA Terra Awards
The first edition of the Terra Award, a new international prize for contemporary earthen architecture, was held on July 14, 2016 in Lyon during the 12th TERRA World Congress.
“The Great Wall of WA” by Luigi Rosselli Architects won the award in the Collective Housing category.
The Great Wall of WA is a series of twelve houses designed for livestock farmers in Australia’s Pilbara region. A big rammed earth wall made by mixing soil from the site (sandy clay rich in iron) with gravel and water from the nearby river borders and supports a dune used to make 12 homes. The wall is 230 metres long, with a zig-zag shape that follows the natural shape of the dune and ensures that each of the homes has its own entrance and privacy.
The 45 cm thick wall has high thermal inertia to maintain an optimal temperature inside the homes without artificial climate control, even in the area’s subtropical climate.
The Terra Award is the third international award presented to architect Luigi Rosselli for The Great Wall of WA.
(Agnese Bifulco)
Design Architect: Luigi Rosselli
Project Architects: Kristina Sahlestrom, Edward Birch, David Mitchell
Interior Designer: Sarah Foletta
Builder: Jaxon Construction
Structural Consultant: Pritchard Francis
Environmental Consultant: Floyd Energy
Location: Pilbara, North Western Australia
Images courtesy of Luigi Rosselli Architects, photo by © Edward Birch
http://luigirosselli.com/
http://terra-award.org/