At 5994 square feet, Earthwall 2 is no tiny home, but a series of sensitive interventions compensate for its large footprint. Built with the designer’s own post-tensioned steel rammed earth construction method and oriented for maximum winter solar exposure, the house also boasts energy-efficient windows and high thermal massing.
This combined with a ground source heat pump that regulates temperature and a green roof that provides even further insulation ensures the bare minimum heating and cooling is required to keep the interior comfortable. Meanwhile, reclaimed stone was used for architectural detailing and reclaimed douglas fir was used for the soffits and ceilings.
+ Ward+Blake Architects
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This striking green-roofed earth home in Idaho is long and flat like the surrounding landscape of Squirrel, Idaho. An environmentally-responsive abode, Earthwall 2 was literally constructed out of the deep red soil on which it currently rests, ensuring a gentle, harmonious footprint. Ward+Blake Architects, who have been featured before on Inhabitat, patented and implemented their own rammed earth technique for this charming energy-efficient home.
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This gorgeous green home rests on the red soil of Squirrel, Idaho
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Ward+Blake used rammed earth walls made with the soil used in construction
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Long and flat, the house is topped with a sod roof
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Reclaimed douglas fir was used for the soffits and ceilings and reclaimed stone was used for other architectural detailing
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A ground source heat pump regulates interior temperatures, requiring minimum mechanical intervention to heat or cool the space
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The rammed earth walls have high thermal massing
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Daylight pours through the windows
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The green roof provides further insulation
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Warm and cozy despite its 5994 square feet footprint, the home was designed to have the smallest possible environmental impact
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