Sustainable Design
A concept study exploring rammed earth, reclaimed timber, rainwater harvesting, and solar energy for a weekend retreat.
Unbuilt concept study · imagery is conceptual
The notional hillside site has no assumed municipal water or sewage connection. The concept therefore explores lower-impact water, energy and material strategies whose feasibility would need to be tested against a real plot, climate data and consultant advice.
The primary structure is load-bearing rammed earth, compacted from soil excavated for the foundations — the ground the pavilion stands on is also the ground it is made of. Those thick earthen walls provide the thermal mass that steadies the interior through hill-station days and cold nights, while a butterfly roof folds the sky’s rainfall into a stone cistern below.
An indicative solar-and-battery system and a constructed-wetland concept are studied alongside lime plaster and reclaimed timber. Energy demand, water quality, storage, maintenance and regulatory requirements would all need project-specific engineering.
Planning a similar project?
Process
Slope, soil, and rainfall analysis on the hillside meadow
Rammed earth from site excavation; butterfly roof as water plant
Indicative solar, storage, water and wetland strategies mapped for engineering review
Load-bearing walls rammed in lifts, lime-plastered by hand
Energy, water, soil, and structural targets prepared for consultant validation