Sustainable Sonoma Rammed Earth Block Residence
       
     
 The  rammed earth Watershed Blocks  for this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects were manufactured using a combination of two different regionally sourced aggregates. Varying the ratio between the two in the formulation resulted i
       
     
 The  rammed earth Watershed Block  walls in this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects curve ever-so-slightly along the entry drive and up to the compound. The block walls serve to retain the hillside. The six-inch high blocks, sixt
       
     
Sustainable Sonoma Rammed Earth Block Residence
       
     
Sustainable Sonoma Rammed Earth Block Residence

Miles off the highway, nearly to the end of a one way road, David Arkin and Anni Tilt’s design for this sustainable private residence combines rammed earth Watershed Block, straw bale, and reclaimed redwood. The weight of the Watershed Block base, in some locations serving as retaining walls, creates both a structural and visual anchor to the lighter straw and wood components. The rammed earth block veneer on the gunite walls of the lap pool rise directly from the ground.

Image © Ed Caldwell

 

 The  rammed earth Watershed Blocks  for this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects were manufactured using a combination of two different regionally sourced aggregates. Varying the ratio between the two in the formulation resulted i
       
     

The rammed earth Watershed Blocks for this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects were manufactured using a combination of two different regionally sourced aggregates. Varying the ratio between the two in the formulation resulted in the “random mottling” that gives the walls their natural appearance. The architects wisely use the block to encase the wood stove to serve as a heat sink - a thermal flywheel. Oak from the surrounding forest yields its stored CO2 to warm both the living room and the kitchen beyond.

Image © Ed Caldwell

 The  rammed earth Watershed Block  walls in this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects curve ever-so-slightly along the entry drive and up to the compound. The block walls serve to retain the hillside. The six-inch high blocks, sixt
       
     

The rammed earth Watershed Block walls in this sustainable private residence by Arkin Tilt architects curve ever-so-slightly along the entry drive and up to the compound. The block walls serve to retain the hillside. The six-inch high blocks, sixteen inches in length, provide an optimum “rise over run” for a gradual ascent. The retaining wall caps are cast using the same formula as the blocks themselves.

Image © Ed Caldwell