Sidewalks on the Moon: The Journey of a Mystic Architect through Tradition, Technology and Transformation [Paperback]

Nader Khalili (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1994

With the moon as a metaphor, Khalili takes us from the poetic moon of the ghettos of his childhood to the scientific moon of his presentations to NASA for lunar base construction using on-site earth and ceramics. He chronicles his own transformation renouncing his successful architecture practice and voyaging into the desert, ultimately firing and glazing the first Ceramic Houses. Inspired by the mystic poetry of Rumi, and the unity of the universal elements of earth, water, air, and fire, with his technical background he presents his proposals for earth and ceramics lunar bases to NASA.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Internationally renowned California architect and author Nader Khalili is the innovator of the Ceramic Houses and Superadobe earthen construction technologies. He serves as a consultant to the U.N. and a contributor to NASA, and directs Cal-Earth Institute, in California, and the Sustainable ARP at SCI-Arc. He has been awarded by the CCAIA for "Excellence in Technology", the U.N. and HUD for "Shelter for the Homeless", and the ASCE (Aerospace division) for his work in lunar and Martian base building technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Cal-Earth Press; 2 edition (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889625027
• ISBN-13: 978-1889625027
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,581,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nader Khalili, an Iranian-born California architect and author, is the designer and innovator of the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as "ceramic houses" as well as the Superadobe building technologies. He received his education in Iran, Turkey, and the United States, and has been a licensed architect in California since 1970. In 1975, he closed his successful practice in the United States and Iran designing high-rise buildings and journeyed by motorcycle for five years through the Iranian desert, where he worked closely with local villagers to develop his earth architecture prototypes. His impressions have been collected in his book Racing Alone. Mr. Khalili serves as a consultant to the United Nations and is a contributor to NASA on construction technologies for the moon and Mars. He is the founder and director of the Cal-Earth Institute, Geltaftan Foundation-dedicated to research and development in earth and space architecture technologies for the moon and Mars.Khalili presently lives in the Mojave desert city of Hesperia, California (north east of Los Angeles). He has a son Dastan and a daughter Sheefteh. He continues to work as an architect, teacher, and author. For more information please visit this website.