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The Great Wall of WA

Rammed earth extracted from the local clay pans, pebbles and gravel quarried from the river bed are the palette of materials used by Luigi Rosselli for this 230 metres long wall that encloses twelve earth covered residences for farmers.

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  • 05 August 2015
  • North Western Australia

Luigi Rosselli Architects completed the longest rammed earth wall in Australia.

At 230 metres long, the rammed earth wall meanders along the edge of a sand dune and encloses twelve earth covered residences, created to provide short-term accommodation for a cattle station during mustering season. With their 450mm thick rammed earth facade and the sand dune to their rear and forming their roofs, the residences have the best thermal mass available, making them naturally cool in the subtropical climate. 

Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Rammed earth extracted from the local clay pans, pebbles and gravel quarried from the river bed are the palette of materials that blend into the landscape. The pavilion at the top is the multi-functional hub, meeting room and chapel

The rammed earth wall (construction) is composed of the iron rich, sandy clay that is a dominant feature of the site, gravel obtained from the adjacent river and (bonded with) water from the local bore (hole). The design of the accommodation represents a new approach to remote North Western Australia architecture, moving away from the sun baked, thin corrugated metal shelters to naturally cooled architectural earth formations.    

Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. The awning roof is a Cor-Ten steel cyclonic shade frame, mirrored by a concrete slab on (the) ground. The concrete slab contains gravel and aggregates from the local river, which lend a reddish colour to its polished surface
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Gold annodised aluminium sheets line the ceiling of the ‘chapel’, cyclonic rated, curved sliding windows can close the pavilion to protect its interior from dust storms
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. The roof is made from Cor-Ten steel sheets, forming an oblique cone and culminating with a skylight in the apex. The roof was fabricated off site and transported in two halves
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Sketch
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Sketch
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Ground floor plan
Luigi Rosselli Architects, The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia. Siteplan


The Great Wall of WA, North Western Australia
Program: residence
Architects: Luigi Rosselli Architects
Project Architects: Kristina Sahlestrom, Edward Birch, David Mitchell
Interior Designer: Sarah Foletta
Builder: Jaxon Construction 
Structural Consultant: Pritchard Francis
Environmental Consultant: Floyd Energy
Completion: 2014

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