Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre

Project Snapshot

Type: Cultural
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Year Completed: 2006

Architect: Bruce Haden of Hotson, Bakker, Boniface, Haden and Brady Dunlop of Dialog
Size: 9,000 sqft Indoors 420,000 sqft Overall 18' Tall x 262' Long SIREWALL

Project 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.

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

Learn more about the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre at ArchDaily.com

Technical Details

Largest insulated rammed earth wall in the world in 2006: 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