Collection by Hassan Maoukil
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Set on a family cattle farm in a Western Australia coastal town on the Margaret River, Bush House, by Archterra founder Paul O'Reilly, marries a single-plane roof with a prefabricated steel frame support structure. A rammed-earth wall carries through O'Reilly's house into the outdoors, melding with oiled plywood, anodized aluminum, and recycled furniture.
"We originally proposed using concrete for the walls because we like the plain style and directness," the owners say. Instead of concrete, Smith suggested rammed earth, a material that combines some of the physical properties of concrete, but is less "psychologically cold." The 16-inch-thick walls' thermal mass helps to insulate the interior from heat in the summer and cold in the winter.
"Rammed earth is complicated," says Smith, "so have the right expectations, do the research, and hire the right people." David Easton—who Smith calls "The Godfather of Rammed Earth"—headed the contracting team that built the walls.