Tag: earth architecture

Iraqi Zaha Hadid’s legacy reinvented in Saudi Arabia’s clay-rooted museum?

She was the first woman and first Muslim to win a Pritzker Prize and was notorious for blowing through budgets, with no concern for environmental issues. Her clients did not find this problematic. Has the Zaha Hadad brand become penitent in its latest project?

Nubian mud architecture is ancient wisdom from Egyptian ancients alive today

A hallmark of Nubian construction is the Nubian vault, a technique for creating arched roofs without the need for timber or modern scaffolding. This gravity-based, pressure-stabilized structure was not only resource-efficient but also incredibly durable.

Learn earthen architecture of the Middle East

This one-month training course will use Al Ain, UAE as an open-air laboratory for participants to learn practical, hands-on methods for preserving earthen buildings and archaeological sites.

Super Adobe by Cal-Tech and Nader Khalili

Want to make a low cost home from natural, local materials that last? Try a Super Adobe invented by Nader Khalili.

Superadobe earthen dome homes for Palestinians

Working with NASA as part of an initiative to design homes fit for space, Iranian architect Nader Khalili conceived the dome home as an affordable, accessible, easy to build, and environmentally sensible housing solution. Now it's being applied in the West Bank. 

The beautiful painted earth homes of Burkina Faso

Until the girls were abducted, I didn't know much about Burkina Faso. And I didn't think I wanted to...

Visit the Round Freedom Farm House in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt

It takes some perseverance to get to Siwa, which lies just east of Libya. Either a long bus or car ride from Cairo, the journey is worth every dust spec, every extra freckle from the sun, and every mile of desert scenery.

Earth Architecture No Longer Fit for a King

Just two hour's drive east of Dubai, the Al Hayl Fort or Palace paints a succinct picture of Emirati...

Make Your Own Compost Bin With Mesopotamian Bricks

Turn to the ancients for a green building technique that lets you play like a child.  Mesopotamian mud bricks...

Nader Khalili-inspired Eco Resort in Oman Wins Big Accolades at WAF

A Nader Khalili-inspired earthen eco resort in southern Oman designed by SSH International won first prize in the Future...

Libya’s Oldest Mud City is Critically Endangered

Ghadamès is one of the oldest habitable medinas in the Sahara, and it is made almost entirely out of mud....

Armed Islamists Destroy Timbuktu’s Mud Architecture

Recently I made a tiny film clip to raise awareness about the pollution surrounding the Giza Pyramids. In the...