The ARCHIVE Global team was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Australian architect Paul Pholeros. A dedicated humanitarian, he was an advocate for Aboriginal housing rights and used his talents to help indigenous and poor communities around the world.
Paul was the co-founder and co-director of Healthabitat, a non-profit organization committed to improving health among disadvantaged communities through housing design strategies. The organization’s projects are implemented through a seven step ‘Housing for Health’ model, which aims for tangible housing improvements while working closely with local communities. The organization works in Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and the United States.
In 2007, Paul was admitted to the Order of Australia for his work with indigenous people and won a World Habitat Award from the United Nations’ Habitat and Social Housing Foundation in 2011. He was also an adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Sydney.
ARCHIVE Global was fortunate enough to have Paul’s invaluable expertise on our projects in Haiti and Cameroon. His death is a great loss to both the architecture and international development communities.
Watch Paul’s 2013 TED Talk: