Archinect : News : Nader Khalili Dies at 71

Iranian-born Nader Khalili, architect, educator, and author, passed away at the age of 71 on Wednesday, March 5th. Khalili was known for his innovation into the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as Ceramic Houses and the Earthbag Construction technique called Super Adobe. He had been involved with Earth Architecture and Third World Development since 1975, and was a U.N. consultant for Earth Architecture.

A letter from CalEarth, a non-profit organization founded by Khalili, announcing his passing, is included after the jump...

Nader Khalili, photo from LA Yoga magazine

A short film about CalEarth

Images courtesy of CalEarth.org

Dearest members of Cal-Earth Forum,

I am bringing you the heartbreaking news that architect Nader Khalili died on Wednesday at 1:30 am holding the hand of his son, Dastan and myself and with the kisses of his daughter, Sheefteh, and those of his brothers still fresh on his cheeks. He left his body, and he left us behind to mourn his passing, to miss him, and to follow his passionate last instructions to every apprentice to carry on his work and keep alive his vision. The flames that ignited him in life and the quest that brought each of you to Cal-Earth to learn from him have touched all of us and led us on this path....the right path....... for arts, humanity and the environment. His work and words have inspired us and his spirit is powerfully alive in every work and word, building and echo that your enthustiastic and loving hands have helped to create for this world.

He soul imbues every grain of sand and every memory contained in Cal-Earth, which expresses so much of his personal life of the last 17 years. And your works, like seeds have been growing and flourishing in every corner of the world, carried on the water of humility that is so irresistible and nourishing....

khak shavam, khak shavam, ta ze to sar sabz shavam,
ab shavam, sajdekonan, ta be golestan beresam....

We will hold a pre-burial vigil at Cal-Earth for those nearby on Sunday during the day, also to comfort eachother....Cal-Earth is open any time for those who want to come and meditate. Candles have been kept alight in the Rumi dome since the time of his death.

His body will be buried in the coming week on Tuesday or Wednesday with Islamic rites in Oak Park cemetery in the City of Claremont in the bosom of his family and much of their history in America. This is about 35-40 mins. drive from Cal-Earth. There will be a public ceremony beforehand in one of the university gardens to honor his gift to humanity, with a ritual that reflects Nader's love of simplicity, the arts, and with the dignity and nobility that he deserves.

Cal-Earth will hold a public memorial day to celebrate his life some weeks after that.

In these days please pray for his soul's safe passage to the next life and support eachother with love and kindness. Every day, every painful step for me without him is like walking on glass, but we must believe that there is a purpose to all things, and as he always said: When one door closes in the universe, another one is also opening. He is able to travel and be with each of you now.

With love,
Iliona
and all at Cal-Earth Institute

i was the first student he ever ran into in sci arc. he walked in from the door and asked me where he could talk to some students. i start to talk to him and introduced him to some other students and the following week he was teaching a class on geltaftan and shortly after that, he deservedly became a cult hero among the students. i immediately felt he was a special person.
he still must have had a lot of work to do. i am sad. my condolences to his loved ones. god bless nader. he was the ultimate poet-architect and knew how to get his work out there.

- Orhan Ayyüce, Mar 07, 08 | 11:19 am

R.I.P.

I have loved his earth and sand houses.
Beautiful sturctures, functional, cheap and easy (relatively) to make..

Hopefully OAN and others will continue to do the kind of work he seems to have championed during his life.

- namhenderson, Mar 07, 08 | 12:05 pm

I saw your dome on the old SCI-Arc grounds when I first moved to Los Angeles from Iran, amidst a harsh concrete and deteriorated metal landscape. It brought me home and many others tranquility. I am sorry I never had a chance to meet you.

Rest In Peace Nader.

- arshia, Mar 09, 08 | 3:32 am

Your children, I mean the young architects of Iran will never forget your way in architecture Nader, we always believed in you and will believe in you forever.
May God the almighty bless him.
Mohammed Vaez
Architecture Student
University of Tehran

- vaez, Mar 09, 08 | 11:53 am

052808_153927
UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design Publishes "Thought Matters II"
052808_150759
ADC Young Guns 6 - ONE WEEK LEFT to enter

Architect Nader Khalili to be remembered
A celebration of the life of architect Nader Khalili, who died March 5, is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday March 29 at the Cal-Earth Institute, which Khalili founded. The institute is at 10177 Baldy Lane, Hesperia. Details and directions can be found at calearth.org | previously
- Orhan Ayyüce on Mar 26, 08 | 2:06 am

SHARE : ↑ digg | ↑ del.icio.us | ↑ facebook
Last year I discovered the Calearth organisation and his works on internet, and spent a full week of admiring all what has been done allreaddy and started dreaming of participating once these sublime vision of Nader and his works on Earth.Tree days ago a friend asked me what was my priority wish in life; I told him about my dream of starting a community based on the Callearth philosofy. Today I was totally unexpected receiving a gift of 3000€ of my stephmother -who will soon die- and I decided to spent it on a trip to Los Angeles to follow the week workshop. Next moment I googled on the Call earth organisation and discovered that Nader left us....
I feel pitty that I will not meet him personally, but I believe that his spirit will keep us guiding all the time and we all together can continue the Work with proudness, success and honour to him.

K.Stonewood@scarlet.be Belgium

- Kali kalo, Jun 01, 08 | 11:11 am