The GADA award 2023
ZEST Architecture is the winner of a Global Architecture and Design Award 2023. We are delighted to announce that our Rammed Earth House has won a so-called GADA award. This sustainable house has won FIRST PRIZE in the category Private Residence (Small-Medium, Built). The GADA awards focus on Sustainability and Innovation and are hosted by Rethinking the Future (RTF).
RTF is an online platform that encourages discussion about innovative architecture and design for our future. It hosts many competitions and awards that inspire and celebrate groundbreaking design. The yearly Global Design & Architecture Design Awards is one of them and we are very proud to be the winner of a GADA award.
Over 1200 participants from over 45 countries entered their projects in the fields of architecture, interior design, urban planning, landscape design and product design. Our Rammed Earth House is the winner in the category Private Residence for houses that have already been built.
The winning project
Our winning project is a highly sustainable family home nestled in an olive grove in Spain. Central to the project is its rammed earth wall. We constructed this wall using soil excavated from the site itself. While it forms a sculptural and poetic element, it also serves the purpose of adding thermal mass to the otherwise timber frame structure. Rammed earth refers to an ancient technique used in Spain in the past, but which has entirely disappeared. The wall anchors the house to the landscape and allows the landscape to be fully experienced inside as well as outside. The wall changes throughout the day, depending on the light. But this experience is not only a visual one; the wall invites touching, creating a unique tactile architecture.
The house complies with Passive House standards and has underfloor heating and cooling as well as ventilation with heat recovery. Because the house is in a remote location, it is entirely off the grid.
To read more about our wonderful Rammed Earth House and see the awards submission, click here.
