Michael Thomas Kalil (1943-1991) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and raised in Rochester, New York. Between 1962 and 1965, he studied theology at St. Basil’s Seminary in Methuen, Massachusetts while studying painting and sculpture at the nearby St. Anselm College. In 1965, Kalil left seminary, moved to New York City, and entered Pratt Institute to study design and architecture. In 1968, Kalil left Pratt prior to obtaining a degree, and instead found design-related employment with several of America’s leading designers and firms, including Ward Bennett (who became a life-long mentor and friend), Walter Dorwin Teague and Associates, and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. During this time, Kalil also traveled the U.S., South America and Mexico, and developed an aesthetic sense informed by pre-Columbian and non-Western architecture, classically derived principles of form, and modernist design. In 1972, Kalil immersed himself in the arts of stone carving, metalwork and weaving during a nine-week residency at Skowhegan.

During the 1970s, Kalil supported himself as a decorative arts object designer and by taking on interior architectural design commissions (including remodeling apartments in the building he lived in). He also launched his career as a design educator. In 1973, he was hired as an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, and he also taught at the New York School of Interior Design. In 1979, along with Giuseppe Zambonini, Kalil founded the Open Atelier of Architecture in the downtown warehouse district of Tribeca. The Open Atelier was an innovative, non-accredited design school that presented an array of courses in the historical, theoretical and practical aspects of the design process. By 1981, Kalil had formally established his own interior architecture firm, Kalil Designs (re-named Kalil Studio in the mid-1980s). As principal and self-styled "space engineer," Kalil rapidly gained international recognition for his innovative work with mechanical and digital technologies and new materials, and for his rigorous application of harmonic proportions and "sacred geometry" to the interior spaces he designed. Among Kalil's clientele were Tiffany & Company, The Museum of Modern Art Strata Oil & Gas, Armstrong World Industries, Dunbar Furniture Company, and Synchronal Corporation. He also won numerous high-end residential commissions. Notable Kalil Studio colleagues, collaborators and associates include Peter Barna, Jean Gardner, Karyn Issa Ginsberg, Martin Spegiel, Nader Ardalan and Ton Alberts.

Many of the core design concepts that Kalil applied to his realized work were derived from a series of ongoing prototype and theoretical investigations (Elysian Fields I, II and III). These commissioned or independent projects were supported by grants, or by his commercial and residential projects. Prototype designs include an award-winning prototype of an automated office space for Armstrong World Industries, and a Space Station habitation module prototype (HM1) for NASA (1983-1986).

In the early 1980s, Kalil contacted NASA in an effort to research lightweight metals and robotic technologies applicable to his ideas regarding kinetic and modular interior spaces. NASA took an immediate interest in Kalil’s work and invited him and Martin Spiegel, a friend and colleague, to sit in at monthly Human Factors planning meetings in Washington D.C. This led to an invitation by Brian Kramer, NASA’s Director of Human Factors, for Kalil to give a presentation to NASA about his prototype work for Armstrong. Soon thereafter, Kalil Studio was invited to participate in a two-phase grant cycle directed by NASA engineer Marc Cohen to explore design solutions and produce a scale model prototype of living quarters aboard the International Space Station. During this project, Kalil, in close collaboration with design educator, artist and author, Jean Gardner, developed the notion of "quantum architecture"-- an integrative, "New Age", and postmodern theory-inflected thesis that addressed the physical, philosophical, and aesthetic implications of outer space exploration and its impact on the future of both zero-gravity and also terrestrial housing design.

In 1990, Kalil was invited by Jan McCarther, the Chair of the Department of Housing and Interior Design at UNCG, to lead an intensive two-week Honors Studio, in which selected students were given the opportunity to gain real-world experience by designing furniture prototypes for Brayton International and the Steelcase Partnership. This project continued into the spring of 1991. In addition to completing this project and despite the fact that Kalil was terminally ill, he also maintained a busy studio schedule until within only a couple of months of his death later that year.

1943

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts.

1958-1962

Attends Benjamin Franklin High School, Rochester, New York.

1962-1965

Attends St. Basil's Seminary, Methuen, Massachusetts.

1965

Enrolls at Pratt Institute.

Moves to New York City.

1965-1966

Employed as a store display designer at Lord & Taylor.

1966-1967

Employed by Walter Dorwin Teague and Associates.

1967-1968

Leaves Pratt Institute prior to obtaining a degree.

Employed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

1970-1971

Travels through the United States, Mexico, South America and Europe.

1970-1971

Submits Mylar-laminated and brass chain face mask to the exhbition, "Face Coverings," at Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York City.

1971

Granted nine-week artist's residency at Skowhegan.

1972

Granted teaching appointment at Parsons School of Design.

Self-employed as jewelry and decorative arts object maker.

1976-1978

Seeks grant funding for development of ideas concerning movable floor spaces.

1978

Teaches architectural history at the New York School of Interior Design.

1979-1981

Co-founds Open Atelier School with Italian architect and teacher, Guiseppe Zambonini.

1981-1991

Establishes interior design firm, Kalil Designs.

1984-1986

Kalil Designs enters two-phase contract cycle with NASA, Ames Research Center, to design and create prototype for space habitation module (HM1).

1990-1991

Teaches Honors Studio at University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

1991

Dies of complications relating to AIDS.

1994

Honored posthumously by Pratt Institute for outstanding alumni achievement.

2001

The Michael Kalil Foundation is established.

The exhibition, "Michael Kalil Retrospective: Designs for the 21st Century" is held at Parsons.

The Michael Kalil Endowment for Smart Design is established at Parsons School of Design.