Nizar Haddad - Founder & Architect

Nizar Haddad, holder of a specialized graduate degree in architecture from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), founded NH-Architectes in 2011.

Nizar's evolving vision of architecture and his passion for nature are what has fashioned the guidelines adopted by NH-Architectes.

Conscious of modern man's disconnection from nature, and its ultimate consequences, Nizar applies his architectural perception, by staying true to the following philosophies:

- The optimal exploitation of sustainable material available both on site and scavenged.
- The optimal increase of a structure's efficient energy use.
- The total integration of a structure into its urban environment.
- Crafting a unique "atmosphere"* for each project, all the while taking into account its socio-cultural context.

Nizar’s interest in green architecture, stemming from his respect for the natural world, grew to include techniques that promise a sustainable, self-sufficient dwelling. He committed much of his time to researching the subject, until this interest blossomed into a fully-fledged passion.

He was Inspired by many 20th and 21st century architects and theorists such as Michael Reynold and his famous Earthship, Malcolm Wells, also recognized as a pioneer in the field of buried dwellings in the 50s, Wallace Neff, the master of the bubble houses during the 40s, John Hait, physics theorist and inventor of the PAHS, Ianto Evans, Pascal Hausermann, Hassan Fathi and many more.

Nizar decided to develop the LIFEHAUS project which revisits and applies multiple long forgotten ancestral building methods, employing the knowledge of masters to produce the most optimal, ecological, self-sufficient and economical prototype, ever devised.
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​In 2014, Nizar decided to build the first prototype in his land in Baskinta. Its concept was clearly based on passive fully self-sufficiency with minimum cost and carbon footprint, using recycled and local natural materials, and reviving ancestral techniques.

By adapting with the socio-political, cultural, and economical issues of the region, LIFEHAUS may significantly improve the quality of life of its inhabitants and their surroundings.

* Ref. "Atmosphère" by Peter Zumthor