A chalk rammed earth building in Kent, England

This is a rammed chalk building with a timbrel vaulted ceiling. It's the Pines Calyx conference centre in St Margaret's Bay, Kent, UK. Depending on the weather and the time of day the building lights, warms or cools itself without producing a scrap of CO2. Rammed chalk became popular in the 19th century particularly in the chalk regions of the UK where some of the chalk deposits are two miles thick.

The walls were built using the chalk reclaimed from the excavation site by Rowland's team of five (two carpenters, one driver and two chalk rammers). The timbrel vaulted roof tiles were made out of waste clay salvaged from a local quarry. Pines Calyx is said to be one of Europe's most sustainable and healthy buildings.