SIREWALL
records and award-winning rammed earth projects
Trailblazers in rammed earth since 1992
SIREWALL Firsts
1992
- First use of Stabilized Rammed Earth (SRE) in Canada by Meror Krayenhoff, Founder of SIREWALL
- First use of iron oxide colouring in rammed earth
1993
- First code-approved insulated rammed earth project in the world
1994
- First curved insulated rammed earth wall in the world
1995
- First fully buried (underground house) insulated rammed earth wall in the world
1997
- First two-storey, curved insulated rammed earth wall in the world
- Creation of the SIREWALL System, a new standard for healthy, efficient homes and buildings with ecological and health benefits
2005
- First commercial SIREWALL building in the world (Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre)
2007
- First commercial SIREWALL buildings in USA and China
2008
- First rammed earth building to receive an award (first place) in the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona
- World Intellectual Property Office approves the novelty, utility and marketability of all 86 claims towards our first patent – the SIREWALL System
2010
- SIREWALL selected for Living Building Challenge and LEED Platinum Van Dusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver, BC
2011
- New Zealand Patent #575594 issued
2012
- First SIREWALL constructed in New Delhi, India – Lalit Mangar boutique hotel consulting completed
2013
- US Patent #8375669 and Canadian Patent #2660979 issued
2016
- Tallest load-bearing modern rammed earth building 52 ft tall (~16 m) – Brinton Museum in Wyoming
2017
- Walls complete on first large-scale public SIREWALL structure in France – Narbo Via history museum designed by Foster & Partners
2018
- First SIREWALL project in Pakistan complete, Telenor 345 head office complex
- First load-bearing rammed earth to reach 100 ft (~30 m)
- First rammed earth project of its size – 650,000 sq ft (60,000 sqm)
Setting world records in rammed earth
Telenor Head Office, Pakistan
- Tallest load-bearing rammed earth tower: 100 ft tall (~30 m)
- Tallest rammed earth stairwell: 60 ft tall (~18 m)
- Longest rammed earth perimeter wall: 0.62 mi (1 km) long x 9.8 ft (3 m) tall
Brinton Museum, Wyoming
- Tallest rammed earth curved building spine: 52 ft tall (~16 m)
- Largest gang form panel: 32′ x 28′ = 896 sq ft or 83 sqm
- Deepest backfill: 30 ft or 9 m
STRONGEST AVERAGE STRENGTH
- Skanska project, Seattle, WA 7,000 psi (~50 MPa)
- Van Dusen project, Vancouver, BC ~6,000 psi (~42 MPa)
- Lalit Mangar project, Dehi, India ~4,400 psi (~30 MPa)
Using no more than 10% cement. Average competitors’ strengths are 300 – 1,000 psi (2 – 7 MPa)
STRUCTURAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Deepest backfill: 30 ft or 9 m (Brinton Museum, Sheridan, WY) below grade. Many competitors require their rammed earth to sit on a stem wall so it doesn’t even touch the grade.
- Longest lintel: 47 ft or 14 m (Edmonton Valley Zoo)
- Heaviest hanging rammed earth section: 100 tons or 91 tonnes (Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre)
DELIVERY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Most production in one day: 110.5 cu yd or 84.5 cbm (NDA project in AZ)
- Largest gang form panel: 32′ x 28′ = 896 sq ft or 83 sqm (Brinton Museum, Sheridan, WY)
Award-Winning Rammed Earth Projects
Celebrating excellence in sustainable design, our rammed earth projects have been recognized globally for innovation, craftsmanship, and environmental impact.
| 2000 – 2006 | Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Best Home Builder in BC awards (1 gold, 2 silver) | |
| 2007 | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Award for Innovation in Architecture | |
| 2008 | World Architecture Festival, Holiday Category Winner | |
| Governor General’s Medal in Architecture (Canada) | ||
| 2009 | Distinguished Building Award of Citation – AIA | Sublette County Library |
| 2010 | SIREWALL selected for Living Building Challenge and LEED Platinum | VanDusen Gardens |
| 2011 | LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge Certified | VanDusen Gardens |
| 2013 | AIA Denver Honor Award | Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center |
| 2014 | World Architecture News Sustainable Building of the Year | VanDusen Gardens |
| 2015 | CSLA Regional Merit / Design | Edmonton Valley Zoo Entry and Wander |
| AIA Design Excellence Honor Award | Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center | |
| 2018 | World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, Finalist in Office Category | Telenor 345 Campus |
| 2021 | ADNZ Architectural Design Awards – Regional Commercial Interiors Award – Highly Commended in the Commercial/Industrial Category Award – Highly Commended in the Resene Colour in Design Category Award | Kawakawa’s Te Henonga |
| Favorite Boutique Hotel in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Travel Awards | Lalit Mangar Boutique Hotel | |
| World Travel Awards | ||
| 2024 | CIBSE Building Performance Awards finalist | NarboVia Roman Museum |
| Night of the Stars | 2+U |