Bringing the merits and techniques of earth architecture to those unable to travel to the California Institute of Earth Architecture founded by Nader Khalili in 1986 was always the internationally-renowned architect’s priority, and it finally came to fruition in 2011 at the first six-day onsite International Workshop in Australia.
Now Hooman Fazly and Robert Gordon from Cal-Earth will be conducting an afternoon lecture tomorrow at the Khaldiya Campus of Kuwait University, where they will team up with Principal Architect Waleed Shalaan to teach students about the eco-dome.
An Iranian architect and lover of Rumi, Nader Khalili designed and constructed small dome shelters made of earth as a cost effective, environmentally-friendly housing solution that stands up to the fiercest natural disasters. Earth bag construction a la Khalili is so-well respected that NASA has regularly touted its lunar and martian potential.
Every year here on earth, hundreds of people from all walks of life travel to Cal-Earth’s base in Hesperia, California to learn how to make their own homes out of earth. Plumbers, bookkeepers, and astrophysicists are all welcome, since programs offered by the non-profit organization rest on three basic premises:
- Shelter is a basic human right;
- Every human being should be able to build their own home; and
- The best way to provide shelter for the exponentially increase human population is to build with earth.
But traveling to California is not always feasible, so Cal-Earth has set up a schedule of international workshops that expands their reach. This year, full, one-week workshops are being offered in Spain and Colombia, and tomorrow, Kuwaiti students will be treated to a brief introduction.
From 3-4pm, there will be an academic and technical presentation for KU students in auditorium 119 next to AlAhli Bank, and from 6-9pm, a presentation and exhibition of eco-dome construction is open to the general public.
Albeit a general primer, there’s a strong chance that attendees will walk away feeling like Hooman Fazly did when he first began his long-term apprenticeship with Cal-Earth in 1993 – that earth-bag construction is the only viable solution to pressing financial, housing and environmental concerns.
More on Earth Architecture:
Nader Khalili Built Earth-Buildings Fit for Space
13 Principles of Sustainable Architecture from Nader Khalili Student
First Earth: Uncompromising Ecological Architecture (Free Movie)
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
