一座源于四种土壤的房子丨印度丨Hiren Patel Architects + Design

Sand sourced from four different regions creates a "geological canvas" of coloured and textured strata in the rammed-earth walls of this home in India, designed by Ahmedabad studio Hiren Patel Architects + Design.

Named A House Born of Four Soils, the 790-square-metre home is located on an open, arid site on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

Hiren Patel Architects + Design (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.

Hiren Patel Architects + Design has completed a rammed-earth home in India

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.

"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.

"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.

A House Born of Four Soils is organised across a series of low-slung volumes

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.

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.

Sand from four different regions make up the home's rammed-earth walls

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.

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.

Its spaces wrap around a central paved courtyard

"The private and semi-private volumes wrap around the quiet centre, offering a sense of introverted refuge," Patel explained.

"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.

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.

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.

Stone, teak carpentry and lime plaster are used throughout the interior

"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.

"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."

A House Born of Four Soils's main bedroom has a glazed corner

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

Elsewhere, PPAA recently used rammed earth to create a guesthouse in Mexico that blends "seamlessly with the terrain".

The photography is by Vinay Panjwani.