architectural videos: Cal Earth documentaries: 5 documentaries on Sustainable Housing

video topic: Architecture, regionalism, eco design
entry type: Documentary,

video title: Sustainable Housing from Natural Materials series by Cal Earth: five feature length documentary
         Design with Nature - Superadobe Homes
         Earth Turns to Gold
         Eco-Dome
         Natural Materials
         Making of a dream. Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth
architect featured: Nader Khalili
director: Nader Khalili
producer:Cal-Earth
run time: mixed
size: mixed
release date: mixed

official website: http://calearth.org/
courtesy:
http://fuckcopyright.blogspot.com/2010/03/sustainable-housing-from-natural.html

description and preview:
(click "read more" below)

The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture is a 501 (C)3 non-profit/charitable foundation at the cutting edge of Earth and Ceramic Architecture technologies today. Founded in 1986 by its director, Nader Khalili (1936-2008), its scope spans technical innovations published by NASA for lunar and Martian construction, to housing design and development for the world's homeless for the United Nations.

Continuing in his tradition, Khalili's associates and apprentices are dedicated to research and education of the public in environmentally oriented arts and architecture. Its philosophy is based on the equilibrium of the natural elements of earth, water, air, fire, and their Unity at the service of the arts and humanity.

Cal-Earth's mission is guided by three principles: (1) shelter is a basic human right, (2) every human being should be able to build a house for him or herself, and (3) the best way to provide shelter for the exponentially increasing human population is by building with earth.

Few Documentaries developed by Cal-Earth:

Design with Nature - Superadobe Homes

1 hr 41 min
How to build with arches, vaults, and domes

World renowned, visionary architect Nader Khalili teaches us the principles of designing Superadobe structures, from emergency shelters to entire eco-villages and towns. Khalili shares the secrets of nature's timeless principles and timeless materials. Using symmetry, harmony and geometry he shows us how to interpret and apply these to earth architecture. We learn how to build an arch, dome and vault, and to expand this knowledge into the design and construction of a home or community resistant to fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake and man-made disasters. We learn practical and simple ways to design a home that works in harmony with all aspects of nature, such as what to look for when we arrive at our building site, and how to integrate our design with the wind, sun, shade, and the land itself. With ‘Natural Design’ we know how to create a nontoxic, sustainable, and environmentally sound home that works in harmony with the environment almost any where in the world.

Sneak peek:

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ML80V9ID
Password: worldchangemedia.com

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Earth Turns to Gold - 1 hr 26 min

In the feature documentary ‘Earth Turns to Gold’ world renowned, visionary architect Nader Khalili introduces to us the Alpha Principles of earth architecture: earth, water, air, fire, combined with arches, vaults and domes, as the seven notes of the music of architecture. He teaches us how to perceive, understand, and use these principles in the most practical manner.
Within the spirit of poetry and fable, and inspired by the mystic poetry of Rumi, the first part of our education begins in earth architecture. We learn what the tools of the trade are and how to use them. We understand how the perfect harmony of nature can be applied to architecture, and how this practical harmony can help us build habitats that are sustainable, nontoxic, and ecologically sound. We learn that we do not need to cut millions of trees to have beautiful homes. Why not? Because 90% of the material we need to build a home is under our feet. We learn that weather and elemental changes can be used to our advantage when building earth homes; that our earth homes are resistant to fire, flood, tornado, earthquake, and most natural and man-made disasters, and we learn the first steps in building ourselves a home made of earth.

Sneak peek:

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QHDPGUUJ
Password: worldchangemedia.com

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Eco-Dome -
1 hr 15 min
A Very Small Home Called Eco-Dome Documentary of It's Construction

This film shows how a pile of earth, dug out from the building site, is turned into a small house called Eco- Dome (moon cocoon model), using the Superadobe technology. It documents how professionals and students from many countries training at Cal-Earth Institute built this structure. It is intended for use with materials and tools developed for instruction during the apprenticeship retreat at Cal-Earth. Superadobe technology was first presented by the architect to NASA for lunar habitats, and can build single or clustered homes on earth which are resistant to fire, floods, wind storms and earthquakes.

Sneak peek:

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LIQYULG4
Password: worldchangemedia.com

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Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth - 54 min
Explore the world of natural building and meet some of its pioneers who are creating beautiful and inexpensive houses out of earth and straw, houses that you can make, too. This is a way of building that can transform how you see the earth and yourself.
http://www.innerexplorations.com/catsimple/nb.htm
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4HKI2vD7hg

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Natural Materials -
1 hr 14 min
Earth Materials (for Superadobe Homes) How to use on-site soil

World renowned visionary Architect Nader Khalili teaches us the secrets of natural materials for building superadobe earth homes. We learn about the properties of the earth under our feet; how to separate and test the clay, silt, sand and other elements that are mixed in the soil; what should be done as we step onto our building site; how to recognize and analyze on-site materials for building using field tests, and how to use this knowledge to build an emergency shelter or permanent communities. We understand that the principles applied in the brilliant modern technology of Superadobe architecture has its roots in the universal elements of our planet and materials on our land. Khalili teaches us how to use these natural nontoxic materials to build healthy and healing homes, and what methods to use if the necessary materials are not available. In this way we understand that nature always provides the solutions if our spirit is in tune with the timeless elements of the universe, earth, water, air and fire. ‘Natural Materials’ is the practical key for understanding how and what materials to use in building a sustainable, eco-home that works with nature and is resistant to most natural and man-made disasters - a beautiful home with timeless materials and timeless principles.

Sneak peek: