Ramming the Earth Fantastic: How Architecture Can Enhance the Popular Success of a Building Material

This talk was given at the Earth Building Association Australia Conference 2017. Learn more at https://www.ebaa.asn.au/. Using a number of built and proposed projects as case studies, including several from his own practice, experienced rammed earth Architect, Luigi Rosselli will discuss how Architecture can enhance the popularity of earthen building materials. Avoiding discussion of the obvious environmental and ecological advantages of employing rammed earth as a construction material, Rosselli will instead focus on other Architectural considerations for its use, including: what makes a material successful, how Architectural role models can enhance the appeal of materials, the aesthetic and ethical qualities of rammed earth, the physical comfort the material provides and its psychological benefits, the obstacles to its widespread use and what the future holds for earthen Architecture. Luigi Rosselli, Principal, Luigi Rosselli Architects Architect, Luigi Rosselli’s practice has been awarded numerous local, national and international prizes for architecture. Rammed earth is a material that embodies Rosselli’s humanist design philosophy and “connects a building to the land it inhabits like no other”. Rammed earth was the natural choice for the design of musterers’ quarters in remote far north Western Australia completed in 2014. The thermal dynamics of the massive rammed earth walls mitigate the extremes of temperature in the harsh desert environment. The Great Wall of WA has been highly recognized with awards including the, ArchDaily Building of the Year 2016, Architizer A+ Award, and the UNESCO TERRA Award for earthen architecture.