TERRA Award 2016 – The Great Wall of WA wins TERRA ‘earthen architecture’ prize

by Valentina Ieva
22
22 Love 5821 Visits

Sydney, Australia 18 July 2016 | Under the chair of 2012 Pritzker architecture prize laureate, Wang Shu, the jury of the TERRA Award selected the winners of this prize, the first of its kind dedicated to recognising excellence the field of contemporary earthen architecture design and construction, in Lyon on Thursday 14 July as part of the twelfth TERRA World Congress Conference. 

 

These UNESCO supported awards encompassed categories from single residential houses to schools, cultural and public buildings and works of art, and the eight Laureates, drawn from countries as diverse as Spain, Morocco and China, included Australian project, The Great Wall of WA.

Located in Western Australia the building features a rammed earth wall that, at 230 metres is the longest rammed earth wall in the country. 

The wall conceals twelve apartments, excavated from the side of a natural hill on the site, which are used as short term accommodation for cattle musterers.  The below ground setting of the apartments was chosen to provide the inhabitants respite from the extreme temperatures and harsh climate of North Western Australia.

TERRA Award laureates terra-award.org/laureate/

Terra World Congress 2016 whc.unesco.org/en/events/1218

Comments
    comment
    user
    Author
    • Valentina Ieva

      Valentina Ieva

      Architect

      Bari / Italy

      Laureata in Ingegneria edile-architettura, giornalista per professione, web writer per diletto. Amante di architettura, design, fotografia e libri di carta. Dipendente dai social, Instagram e InstaStories su tutti. Affamata di vita, viaggi e storie da scoprire. Qualunque forma d'arte mi affascina da sempre e non posso pensare una vita senza: emozioni forti, immaginazione, buona musica, cucina pugliese, sole e gatti. Per dirla con le parole di Battiato, non potrei vivere senza: ‘un soffio al)

    References
    The Great Wall of WA 55

    The Great Wall of WA

    Australia / 2015