Privately Immersed – Rammed Earth House by Planned Living Architects

Inspired by its siting, Rammed Earth House takes influence from its context and fuses the natural with the built to create an enviable outlook from its coastal position. Planned Living Architects combines ideas of privacy, protection and immersion to propose a secluded and calming abode.

Set into the sand dunes of the Mornington Peninsula, Rammed Earth House opens up to its generous outlook, while providing a secure and protective respite from its coastal condition. With the Peninsula a popular place to escape to from Melbourne, the area is increasingly dotted with occasional homes offering places of recharge and a uninterrupted connection to nature. Rammed Earth House is one very such offering, where its heavy weighted architectural elements anchor securely to the site and allow its open apertures to create portals out toward the ocean. The resulting structure takes influence from an array of muses, ranging from the warm and enrapturing feel of a ski lodge to the clean and uninterrupted lines of modernism. Planned Living Architects filters the client’s connection to specific styles to conjure a series of moments that are expressed through materiality and spatial planning, and which provide a sense of privacy, seclusion and protection from the elements.

The resulting structure takes influence from an array of muses, ranging from the warm and enrapturing feel of a ski lodge to the clean and uninterrupted lines of modernism.

Built by Uber Constructions, the home is intended as a sanctuary and its positioning and outlook surrounded by such natural and abundant landscape offers a connection to earth. Key throughout is the connection to the natural, both in materiality and the interplay with the surrounding environment. Introducing natural light in interesting and mood-creating ways was also important. Throughout, a commitment to the use of natural materials and an honest approach lead to the inclusion of the home’s namesake, rammed earth. The use of rammed earth methodologies together with local granite not only create a connection to site but introduce increased thermal mass, allowing for a more climatically comfortable and passively cooled and warmed series of spaces.

The use of natural materiality sees earth, stone and timber come together, each offering their own textural dexterity and nuance. Each offers a balance to the other, strengthening a sense of warmth while hinting at a robustness. The orientation of spaces and openings encourages occupants to use carefully designed outdoor spaces that offer protection from the elements, while shielding them in others. This considered planning allows an optimised capture of northern light internally, while turning its back on undesired thermal gains. The home is essentially a series of three zones, where multigenerational living is able to occur with ease and each zone can be selectively shut off as needed. This idea of reducing the used footprint acts as an extension of the sense of seclusion and appropriateness.

Rammed Earth House beautifully responds to its site and, through restraint and consideration, sees a timeless home emerge from its natural materials. Planned Living Architects has successfully created the ideal escape, one that calms and connects, while also respectfully taking only what is needed.

The use of natural materiality sees earth, stone and timber come together, each offering their own textural dexterity and nuance.

The home is essentially a series of three zones, where multigenerational living is able to occur with ease and each zone can be selectively shut off as needed.