An earth house made of prefab panels

Designed by Indian architectural studio Zarine Jamshedji Architects, the Alarine Earth Home is made of prefab polystyrene panels and covered in recycled laterite waste.

The house embodies “the coming together of the professional and personal lives of architect Zarine Jamshedji and Construction veteran Cornelis Alan Beuke.” It was built using Schnell 3D panels. These sandwich panels consist of an insulating core made of polystyrene and two sheets of galvanised electro-welded mesh. The precast panels can be used for main and partition walls. They have structural strength, are insulating and offer construction speed. The panels were then covered with waste laterite paste collected at a laterite cutting workshop. The roof is planted with Vetiver, a type of bunchgrass.

Several pieces of furniture and light fittings are made from waste Schnell panels. An old tree root found on site was cleaned and repurposed. The plinth of an old pumping shed was converted into an outdoor landscape seating space. An old trench was enlarged to form a pond to hold water from the paddy for irrigation and be refilled from the roof water.

Photos: Syam Sreesylam