On a triangular plot in Bhuj, Gujarat, a weekend home rises partly out of the earth it sits on, its rammed-earth walls carrying the memory of ancient building methods into a present that still needs machines to survive the summer. Architect Hiten Kakadiya, working with local artisans and a family whose Jain faith shapes daily habits, has chosen belonging over display, a quiet answer to the old question of how a dwelling should meet its land. The house admits what it cannot do: when the heat passes 40 degrees, the old wisdom of courtyards and shaded louvres yields to the air conditioner. In tha
In Bhuj, a Rammed-Earth Weekend Home Stays Cool by Rooting Itself in Soil and Climate
Passive cooling fights a losing battle past 40 degrees
Mark
Why does a house in Bhuj built of soil matter beyond looking good?
Mimi
Because the materials and the climate response are specific. Red rammed-earth walls nine inches thick, soil from Morbi, CSEB blocks that aren't kiln-fired. It's a house made from nearby ground.
Mark
And the courtyard?
Mimi
The house wraps three sides of it, which pulls in light and air. The plot is triangular and every side is visible, so there was no single front to polish.
Luke
Does it actually stay cool, though? The headline suggests so.
Mimi
Partly. The architect himself says air conditioners were necessary once temperatures reach 40 degrees and above.
Luke
So the cooling claim is his, with no measured data reported here. We don't know how many degrees the walls save or how often the AC runs.
Mimi
Right, nothing quantitative on performance is given. What's reported is the design strategy: horizontal louvres, 30-inch overhangs, the courtyard.
Mark
What about the Jain influences?
Mimi
They're quiet. A window ledge in the sister's room for sleeping, and a paved track so no one walks on grass.
Luke
Worth noting the meaning of the ledge isn't explained in the piece. It's described as understood by the initiated, so we shouldn't fill that in.
Mark
And the local trees?
Mimi
All local varieties, none imported for aesthetics, according to Kakadiya. It fits the rest of the house's logic.
The Pulse
- Summer heat above 40°C pushes a passive home past its breaking point, forcing air conditioners back into a design built to avoid them.
- A tight triangular plot and open sightlines leave the architect no single facade to hide behind, so every side of the house must perform.
- Nine-inch rammed-earth walls, pressed CSEB blocks and a wrapped central courtyard work to pull in light and breeze while holding cool.
- Horizontal wooden louvres angle air upward and 30-inch overhangs throw deliberate shadows, and the house is settling into a durable model for hot-region living.
On a triangular plot in Bhuj, Gujarat, a weekend home rises partly out of the earth it sits on, its rammed-earth walls carrying the memory of ancient building methods into a present that still needs machines to survive the summer. Architect Hiten Kakadiya, working with local artisans and a family whose Jain faith shapes daily habits, has chosen belonging over display, a quiet answer to the old question of how a dwelling should meet its land. The house admits what it cannot do: when the heat passes 40 degrees, the old wisdom of courtyards and shaded louvres yields to the air conditioner. In that candid limit, it offers hot regions a modest model for living with, rather than against, their climate.
On a triangular plot of 22,500 square feet in Bhuj, Gujarat, a two-level weekend home of 6,300 square feet sits largely built into the ground beneath it. Its architect, Hiten Kakadiya of Aayam Architects, could have made a showpiece for a client from the design world he trained in. He did not. The family wanted no Italian marble, and their Jain faith shaped the house in small, deliberate ways, from a sleeping ledge in the sister's room to a paved path that spares the grass.
The walls are the heart of it. Nine-inch rammed-earth walls, built with soil from Morbi that gives them a red tone, rise alongside pressed Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks, which avoid the kiln and its energy and pollution. Kakadiya works with master artisans who carry ancestral building knowledge, and he describes the stone underfoot as adding weight and permanence to the ground.
The house wraps three sides of a central courtyard, drawing in light and air, and its horizontal wooden louvres and 30-inch overhangs shape both shade and breeze. Yet the honesty of the project lies in its limits. When temperatures reach 40 degrees and more, Kakadiya concedes, passive cooling fights a losing battle, and the air conditioners run. The house does not pretend otherwise. It aims to belong to its soil and climate rather than impress, and in doing so, it offers a grounded example for other hot regions.
On a triangular plot of 22,500 square feet in Bhuj, Gujarat, a two-level weekend home of 6,300 square feet stands built largely out of the ground beneath it. Its architect, Hiten Kakadiya of Aayam Architects, trained at CEPT, and one might expect a house for a client from that world to be a showpiece. Kakadiya says it was not. The client did not want Italian marble running through the rooms, and the family follows Jainism, which shaped several aspects of the design. Kakadiya says they balance a contemporary education with the beliefs of their religion without conflict.
That outlook matches his practice, which is built around connecting to roots and working with master artisans who carry ancestral knowledge of construction. Here that means rammed earth. The nine-inch-thick walls use soil brought from Morbi, which gives them a red tone. Other walls are made of Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks, or CSEB. These are pressed rather than fired in a kiln, unlike traditional clay bricks, which saves energy and avoids air pollution. Natural stone covers the outdoor areas. Kakadiya describes the effect as adding weight and permanence to the ground plane, and says moving through the house is as much felt underfoot as seen.
The odd shape of the plot forced decisions about placement and layout. Because every elevation is visible, Kakadiya says, the team could not concentrate on the front alone. The house is inward-looking and wraps around three sides of a central courtyard, which brings in considerably more natural light and ventilation. No other structure is within eyesight, yet the design makes no attempt to frame the surroundings or open vistas toward the horizon.
The climate response is detailed. Wooden louvered windows control light and breeze, keeping interiors shaded but ventilated. The louvres are horizontal, so air can be angled upward when a direct draft isn't wanted. Overhangs of 30 inches add protection from the sun. Kakadiya describes the shadows as designed rather than accidental, and the light as a dynamic element of the house.
The house does not claim to do without machines. Despite the climatic work, air conditioners were necessary. "When the ambient temperatures hit 40 degrees and more, passive cooling fights a losing battle," Kakadiya says.
Jain practice appears in small, specific ways. In the sister's room, a ledge near the window is the preferred sleeping spot; Kakadiya says it carries meaning for those who are initiated and needs no explanation. The bed in the room accommodates houseguests. A paved walking track circles the house so residents need not step on grass, which their religion discourages.
Furniture is handcrafted wood from Alankaram, made by female artisans, with pieces valued for individuality over uniformity. In the garden, a short distance from the main bungalow, a glass-walled gazebo serves as a sit-out for the family and a waiting room for visitors connected to the client's work. Tattva Designs did the landscape, and every tree is a local variety. Kakadiya says none were imported for looks, and that the landscape is part of daily living rather than decoration.
Kakadiya sums up the project by saying it does not try to impress but to belong: to its soil, its climate and the life lived inside. The house offers a working example for hot regions, including its admission that passive design has limits.
Notable Quotes
When the ambient temperatures hit 40 degrees and more, passive cooling fights a losing battle.— Hiten Kakadiya, Aayam Architects
The design does not try to impress; it chooses to belong to the soil, the climate and the lifestyle it nurtures.— Hiten Kakadiya, Aayam Architects (paraphrased)
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Climate & Environment