The Earth House

This home by Art and Architecture Associates employs enclosures of compacted earth and gabion walls, channelling sustainability through indigenous building practices and materials. India, a country bursting with a rich heritage of indigenous building traditions is seeing swift growth in the realm of low-tech sustainable architecture that emphasises the use of local materials, age-old construction techniques, and an unpretentious approach to building in harmony with nature. Recent projects such as Design Kacheri’s Sunyata Eco Hotel, PMA madhushala's Red Oasis, or the exemplary body of work by Kerala-based practice Wallmakers stand tribute to these developments, showcasing how locally harvested alternative materials such as earth, brick, and bamboo, can create architectural marvels that fare better in terms of their longevity and adaptability to local climates when compared to their modern counterparts. Among the most recent exponents of this strategy is the Vadodara-based firm Art and Architecture Associates, led by Indian architect Dharam Patel, that has crafted a naturalistic sanctuary in the city of Halol, in Gujarat. The Earth House, as it has been christened on completion, is a relatively demure abode at first glance, consisting of a single rectangular volume made up of textured, rammed earth walls topped by a single pitched roof that gently inclines towards one side. Clerestory windows beneath the roof - which has been assembled from PUF panels with a cement sheet on its internal face - complete the unostentatious façade design. Resting low within the landscape, which features sweeping farmland dotted by towering palms, the residence’s design exerts a gentle presence upon its context - both in terms of scale and materiality. The structure's singular course also has a relatively small footprint in comparison to the full extent of the site, with wide open spaces surrounding it and blending into the agrarian setting.