NK’Mip Desert Cultural Centre

Custom Features

• 40 coloured test samples were made prior to selection via a full scale mockup
• Curved and coloured to blend in naturally with its desert surroundings
• Thirty differently coloured lifts with each colour specified by the architect
• Over 100 tons of hanging rammed earth above the slot window

Technical Details

• Largest insulated rammed earth wall in the world: 80m long, 5.5m high and 600mm thick
• Wall is created of 150mm- to 200mm-high lifts inside 600mm- wide forms
• Thermal resistance of the wall is R33
• Wall is heavily reinforced and utilizes HSS frames cast in at 1200mm on centre to hang the section above the slot window from the roof slab
• Weather conditions and extreme temperature ranges were a significant consideration (-30°C to +40°C)
• Few control joints and very minimal non-structural random cracking

Awards and Recognition

• World Architecture Festival, Holiday Category Winner, 2008
• Governor General’s Medal in Architecture (Canada), 2008
• Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Award for Innovation in Architecture, 2007
• Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Recommendation Letter

“We consider the material to have extraordinary promise from both a design and sustainability perspective, and look forward to its broader adoption.”– Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden

Location: Osoyoos, British Columbia
Architect / Designer: Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden (HBBH)
Builder: Terra Firma Builders
General Contractor: Greyback Construction