Living differently: Nadir Khalili's earthbag houses

I love, really love Nader Khalili's earthbag houses. I know that we are broke and that we don't have the time to begin to build anything for now, but just look at this.





Wow.

Nader Khalili was an Iranian-American architect. In the 80s, he worked on lunar habitat - yes - and began building earthbag structures, that he called "Super Adobe". Those structures are today used as emergency shelters, because they resist to earthquakes and bombs.

But some people build those ethical and very simple houses for themselves too.

And the houses are so cool, and apparently easy to build, I would love building one on our little piece of land in Morocco.








You just need bags, earth, and some wire too. This site, and this blog explain how you can do it yourself.




There are also plenty of pictures on the website of the Californa Insitute of Earth Art and Architecture (Calearth), founded by Khalili.
You can even buy, if you too are in love with those little houses, the bags from the website.





So, will there be someday an earthbag house in Ouled Mgatel?
Well, see for yourselves.

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M : Hey look, I just wrote a blogpost on earthbag houses.

F : Oh yeah I know that stuff.

He comes and looks at the computer screen.

F : Wow! They're awesome!

M : Yeah. I love this picture of the inside of a house. (Sigh)

F goes back to his Arabic students. A few minutes later, he enters the room again with some kind of plan he just drew.

F : What do you think, where do I put the kitchen?

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The Hotel Lincoln in Casablanca : A Tragic Story

That hotel’s story is beautiful, sad, and tragic. That’s the story of a gorgeous hotel, a pioneer, who slowly changed into a murderer. That’s the story of a long decay, and of an uncertain future.

The Hotel Lincoln was the first building to be build on the Boulevard de la Gare in Casablanca, which now the Boulevard Mohammed V. It was built in 1916 by Hubert Bride, at a time when Casablanca was a playground for European architects, who experimented and mixed occidental and Arabic patterns. The Hotel Lincoln is a big, majestic Art Deco building. After Morocco was decolonized, it wasn’t destroyed, like many other constructions dating from the protectorate, in an attempt of the authorities to erase the traces of the French occupation.

With the years, the Casablanca hotel decayed. Its facade was blackened by traffic, and the whole building became uninhabitable. And that’s how, in 1989, the hotel began its career as a murderer. Two people were killed when one of the floors collapsed. A few years later, a homeless man would be killed in another collapsing.

And despite all of this, because of this, people began to rally around the hotel. In 2000, it was listed as a historical monument. Renovation projects were suggested. An American wants to make of the hotel a cultural center for the people of Casablanca. Architects want to restore it. But the owner of the building envisions an altogether different future for the hotel. He would like to destroy it, keeping only the facade, and build a five-story office building instead. The authorities decide to expropriate him, but nothing happens.

On Febrary 1st, the heavy rains provoked the collapsing of a part of the walls of the hotel - without injuring anyone this time.

Look at the beauty, and at the distress, of the Hotel Lincoln.

Casablaca: far from the well

Really far from the well! We've spent the week in Casablanca.

The view from our hotel room:

That sure changes us from the country.

In Casablanca, houses look like this:


Or like this:

If your sight is good, you can read the names of the "Restaurant Peau de Vache" (""Cow skin restaurant") and of the "Bar Sans Pareil" (more difficult to translate... I'd say "Bar without parallel"... ) Both must be some really classy places.