{"id":532288,"date":"2026-04-15T13:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/532288\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:58:13","slug":"rammed-earth-walls-enclose-a-house-born-of-four-soils-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/532288\/","title":{"rendered":"Rammed-earth walls enclose A House Born of Four Soils in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sand sourced from four different regions creates a “geological canvas” of coloured and textured strata in the rammed-earth walls<\/a> of this home<\/a> in India<\/a>, designed by Ahmedabad studio Hiren Patel Architects + Design.<\/p>\n

Named A House Born of Four Soils, the 790-square-metre home is located on an open, arid site on the outskirts of Ahmedabad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hiren Patel Architects + Design<\/a> (HPAD) organised the dwelling across a series of low-slung volumes that wrap a central paved courtyard, onto which all of its rooms have direct access.<\/p>\n

\"AerialHiren Patel Architects + Design has completed a rammed-earth home in India<\/p>\n

Tasked by the clients with using a material palette that felt “rooted in India”, HPAD built the walls of the home from rammed earth made using sand from four neighbouring regions, each bringing a variety of colours and textures.<\/p>\n

“The home acts as a living, porous membrane where modern minimalist luxury is achieved not through ornamentation, but through the elemental purity of light, air, and earth,” principal architect Hiren Patel told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“The defining gesture is the rammed earth. Its striated bands do not just form walls; they are geological canvases, capturing the warm, dusty hues of the local soil,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"ViewA House Born of Four Soils is organised across a series of low-slung volumes<\/p>\n

A winding path leads from the outer wall of A House Born of Four Soils past a lotus pond, meeting an entrance plaza sheltered by a timber-lined canopy flanked by two large trees.<\/p>\n

Passing beneath this canopy, the home’s entrance foyer provides access into a shaded veranda around the central paved courtyard, onto which every internal space enjoys direct access and views framed by slender timber columns.<\/p>\n

\"EntranceSand from four different regions make up the home’s rammed-earth walls<\/p>\n

The living space and dining area of A House Born of Four Soils each open out onto their own small dedicated terraces, while the main bedroom suite is tucked more privately to the northwest, overlooking the surroundings through a glazed corner.<\/p>\n

Wrapping the main home is an extensive garden of lawns, trees and ponds, within which sits a standalone guest annexe to the north and a garage to the south.<\/p>\n

\"CourtyardIts spaces wrap around a central paved courtyard<\/p>\n

“The private and semi-private volumes wrap around the quiet centre, offering a sense of introverted refuge,” Patel explained.<\/p>\n

“It is a hierarchy of intimacy: from the vast public landscape, to the sheltered verandas, into the enclosed living quarters, and finally, out again into the private, sky-lit heart of the courtyard,” he added.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Desert<\/p>\n

Rammed earth adds natural quality to Arizona home by Kendle Design Collaborative\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The rammed-earth walls of the home have been left exposed on the exterior, making visible the orangey-brown and cream bands of its different sand compositions, developed through a series of prototypes.<\/p>\n

Inside, a palette of local stone, teak carpentry and lime plaster was used to create light, airy spaces, focusing on durability and surfaces that will gradually weather over time.<\/p>\n

\"LivingStone, teak carpentry and lime plaster are used throughout the interior<\/p>\n

“The earthen mass is counterbalanced by the warmth of natural timber, seen in the clean lines of the courtyard pillars and the expansive ceiling planes,” Patel said.<\/p>\n

“The cool, muted stone flooring acts as a neutral datum, grounding the space. These materials were chosen for their authenticity; they don’t require superficial finishes. They will age, weather, and patina, allowing the building to register the passage of time.”<\/p>\n

\"BedroomA House Born of Four Soils’s main bedroom has a glazed corner<\/p>\n

Another home in India that has made use of rammed earth is Hybrid House by Sketch Design Studio,<\/a> which features pink-toned walls due to the high volume of clay in Rajasthan soil.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, PPAA recently used rammed earth to create a guesthouse in Mexico that blends “seamlessly with the terrain”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Vinay Panjwani<\/a>.<\/p>\n