Originally designed to be Brett and Jodie’s family home, the idea to make Mayan Luxe Villas a bespoke accommodation destination came soon after Covid, when their café restaurant and catering business, BlackAnt Gourmet @ Kin Kin General Store had to adapt to the new rules and regulations regarding operations.
While the restaurant and catering is now fully operational again, Brett and Jodie decided in 2020 to complete their dream abode and offer it to guests who would like a bespoke country experience in the Noosa Hinterland.
RAMMED EARTH
Mayan Luxe Villas showcases the benefits of rammed earth homes not just for the occupants, butfor the planet. Stabilised Rammed Earth Construction is an environmentally-sustainable building method that has a CSIRO fire rating of 4 hours and high thermal mass properties which is highly desirable in the Australian climate.
Combined with good solar passive design, rammed earth structures can provide the ultimate in ‘green’ construction and even eliminate the need for additional heating and cooling.
With a low carbon footprint and unlimited design capabilities, rammed earth offers beauty and practicality. It is an incredibly durable medium and requires little to no maintenance – no insulation, paint or carpet here.
HISTORY
As one of the oldest forms of construction, rammed earth dates back to the time of semi-Nomadic man in the Middle East, predating mud brick and was used in the construction of the Great Wall of China and other monumental structures of ancient times.
Rammed earth is still being used all over the world and is known as taipa in Portuguese, tapial or tapia in Spanish, tàpia in Catalan, pisé (de terre) in French, bijenica in Serbian, and hāngtǔ (夯土) in Chinese!
HOW WE DID IT
Mayan Luxe Villas’ rammed earth walls were constructed from the earth dug on-site to create a dam to service Mayan Farm. By adding decomposed granite, sand and white cement to the earth from the property, the ideal blend was created to provide perfect consistency for this building process and to meet engineering and certification requirements. Steel reinforcement was used in the building as extra security, similar to core fill block walls.
HEATING AND COOLING
Due to the natural thermal benefits associated with rammed earth walls, no air conditioning or heating is required, however ceiling fans are provided for extreme cases, with a timer allowing fans to automatically turn off after an allocated period of time.
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