Vol:III Workshop Cluster • Tel Aviv

V:III_7.1 [TLV] WS7 [C1] Workshop Programme & Results "Between Tel Aviv and Jaffa"

Class-01: 24.10.-04.12.2011 Workshop 7 at Tel Aviv [TLV]
at Tel Aviv University, Faculty of the Arts
David Azrieli School of Architecture with International Master's Programme A.S.G. / Reiseuni_lab, Module "Urban Strategies"
Professor's Team: Prof. Elinoar Barzacchi, architect and town planner; Ayala Ronel, architect and senior lecture and in cooperation with colleagues of the school and invited guest lecturers of different disciplines.

Topic of the Workshop

Students Reflection: "Dissolution in Space and Time"

"In spite of oneself, it seems that God promised the Promised Land to too many people. Israel, The Holy Land that is one of the densest regions in the world with continuous explosive growth of population, has complicated history and never ending conflict with Middle East. The conflict is not only behind the borders but violence and clashes are happening inside the country, in the cities, in Palestinian neighbourhoods where houses and families are destroyed. How can architecture correspond to this situation? What is the role of architects here? Can architects only ever have the best interests of the greater population in mind with a clear understanding that human tragedy is not inevitably architectural opportunity? The importance of the situation is global and its complicated history shows no ending or clear sky in the near future. Therefore, in this project the architectural language was different. It was not talking about present but escaping from it to look into the future, utopian future."

(Erko Luhaaru, Student Class-1, within the frame of Design Reflection-2, summarizing all workshop experiences & individual results, 03.2012)

A year ago, the city of Tel-Aviv celebrated its first centennial anniversary. It all began in the 19th century in the city of Jaffa, already a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan city. Jaffa had telegraph and communication lines and advanced transportation infrastructure including a commercial port and a rail line connection with Jerusalem. The cosmopolitan population of the city assimilated many immigrants. Hence, the multi-cultural aspect of the city influenced the local life style, the architectural style and brought about the creation of cultural centres, such as theatres, movie hall etc.

At the onset, Tel-Aviv was actually two suburban neighbourhoods to Jaffa, named "Achuzat Bayit" (house estate) and "Ir Ganim" (garden city). The 1921 riots brought about violent hostilities between the Jewish and Arab population, most of which took place in the Tel-Aviv area. Consequently, Tel-Aviv detached from its Jaffa neighbour and became an independent urban entity. From the onset of the new status, Tel-Aviv evolved into the commercial, economical and social centre of the Jewish settlements in "Eretz Yisrael" (the Israel territory at the time). Furthermore, Tel-Aviv aspired to establish its status as an international metropolis, that by hosting events such as "Yarid Ha-Mizrach" (Orient fair and exposition), the "Maccabia Sports Event" (the so called the Jewish Olympics) and constructing an international exhibition centre.
In 1950, two years after the 1948 War of Independence and the establishment the State of Israel, Tel-Aviv and Jaffa merged together to form one city.

Structure of the City

To date, Tel-Aviv is a modern post-industrial city, comprised of 3 core areas: The historical centre, now the financial district, the Eastern district along the Ayalon beltway, now the industrial and service businesses area and the waterfront district, where corporate offices and head quarters are located as well as a myriad of organizations and societies making their home there.

Tel Aviv became a cultural centre with several cores; The Golda compound, that incorporates the Opera house, the Chamery theatre, the Tel Aviv museum with its new recent section and Piazza and the municipal library.
The Jaffa area includes the old city, the port, the "Jaffa slopes" and the station compound. An upgrading is done to the Habima Theatre, the concert-hall, "Haichal Hatarbut" and museum Helena Rubinstein.

Tel Aviv's shoreline is a strip mainly dedicated to tourism.
The accelerated change in Tel Aviv can be seen in the change of the skyline.
High-rise buildings, both for offices and dwelling, are built and change the characteristic of the streets.
At the same time, other effects of changes and fast growing occur:  Growing gap between the rich and the poor, unaffordable prices of apartments make young people leave the city.
Areas of urban delinquency, poverty, mainly populated by foreign workers, process of gentrification, high-rise buildings and closed community cause lost of identities of areas, infra structure, transport and all those subjects are part of the price the city is paying for turning a "global city".

As for planning - fast development changes the identity and character of the city and the city may loose its identity; the public space is changing.
The division between Jaffa and Tel-Aviv, that is as old as Tel-Aviv's history, exists and can be felt especially in the Manshia area (a neighbourhood deserted in 1948 and demolished in the 60's).

Overview Workshop Focus & Strategy

The subject of the Studio will be the dilemma of separation and space between Jaffa and Tel Aviv.
This significant place, adjacent to the seafront, is potentially an area for new development.
We shall be dealing with the questions of urban identity and public-space design.
During the first week the students shall work as a team to formulate an urban strategy, designation, programme and mode of intervention.
Following, teams of 2-3 students shall plan architectural guidelines in accordance to the general strategy.
The proposals formulated by all the teams shall be presented as a whole.

Steps of Work & Results

• Programme
• Introduction
• Strategy definition
• Comprehensive strategy plan 1:2500 – 1:500
• Work–teams forming
• Architectural planning – construction or development. 1:100 1:250
• Formation of a general proposal for the area 1:100 1:250 1:500 1:1250

More details about daily schedule: see online calendar

[Programme: Ayala Ronel, Tel Aviv, October 2011]

Bibliographic Information:
Ronel, Ayala; Barzacchi, Elinoar, Workshop Cluster • Tel Aviv – Israel. In: Reiseuni Report | The Making of. European Architecture Dialogue. Jäger, Dagmar (Ed.); Pieper, Christian (Ed.) et al.; Reiseuni_lab: Berlin, 2017; Vol:III_7., ISBN:978-3-00-055521-3, DOI:10.978.300/0555213, https://www.reiseuni.eu/report/3.07_cluster-tel-aviv/tel-aviv_haifa.htm

V:III_7.2 Master's Thesis [TLV]: Cultural Transfer. Consequences of Tourism for Architecture & Urban Space in Europe: Manshiyeh and the Connection between Jaffa and Tel Aviv

 

During the six months' elaboration of the Master's Thesis, complex challenges about "Cultural Transfer" have been delved into within six different cumulative research fields across greater Europe. In cooperation with the international professors' team, 19 postgraduate students have been focusing future opportunities of sustainable architecture and urban design in the field of heritage transformation: Three ancient prison plots of the 19th century have been transformed in Tallinn, Lisbon and Cottbus; the touristic territory of Costa del Sol has been investigated as a cultural landscape; neglected urban typologies in Tel Aviv have been analysed and pushed towards new futures. This final research period is conceptualized as 'individual teamwork' in Germany, Estonia, Spain, Israel and Portugal, from both a practical and a theoretical point of view. The final results have been discussed in the European Architecture Dialogue, the final symposium in Berlin.

>>>V:III_12 [MT] All about the Master's Thesis – Objective & Frame, Conclusions, Topics–Sites, Results

>>>V:III_12.4 [MT] Manshiyeh and the Connection between Jaffa and Tel Aviv

Professors' Team:

Prof. Dr. Dagmar Jäger (Cottbus, responsible for the cooperative Thesis), Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Inken Baller & Prof. Arch. Chris Burns (teacher's team of Design Reflection 2, Cottbus) together with the local professors of the Partner Universities, Prof. Arch. Irina Raud & Prof. Arch. Rein Murula (Tallinn), Arch. Ayala Ronel (Tel Aviv), Prof. Arch. Flavio Barbini & Prof. Dr. Ricardo Carvalho (Lisbon), Prof. Dr. Mar Loren (Sevilla), Prof. Dr. Maria Schneider (Innsbruck) and Dr. Arch. Izabela Mironowicz (Wrocław, In-between review), Prof. Dr. Riklef Rambow (Cottbus, 1st Thesis). These professors constitute the jury board during the Master's thesis portfolio evaluation, in-between and final presentation / examination in September 2012.

V:III_7.3 [HFA] WS5 [C3] Horacio Schwartz, Lenka Cederbaum, Michal Baroz: Reiseuni in Haifa

Envoi

Imprisoned by four walls
(to the north, the crystal of non-knowledge
A landscape to be invented
To the south, reflective memory
To the east, the mirror
To the west, stone and the song of silence)
I wrote messages, but received no reply
[Octavio Paz]

We are very pleased to be invited to host the workshop planned for March/April 2016 at the NB School of Design in Haifa. Our motivation to take part in this inspiring programme was even more strengthened at the successful Tallinn Colloquium [European Architecture Dialogue#5, Ed.]. There, the excellent presentations of all the participants and the most positive synergies between them established a promise of what is to come.

The search for the ultimate way to teach architecture is as old as the discipline itself. Reiseuni, a vivid example of this search, has already achieved outstanding results due to its unique approach to the study of architecture.

In Tallinn we had an opportunity to present our general concept for the structure of the workshop in Haifa. We hope to contribute through widening the scope of the programme by the specific character of Haifa and by our own holistic approach to architectural education.

Haifa

With a major port, industry and universities, Haifa is an unusual and multifaceted city. Its singular geography is defined by the immediate proximity of mountain, sea, river and plain. It is characterized by multicultural human cross-landscapes and the imprint of historical processes on the diversity and complexity of the urban fabric provide a stimulating background for architectural research leading to creative design.

Its present day problematic stemming from dislocated districts, dispersal of centres, obsolete industrial structures and obstructed seafront access poises challenges and opportunities for research and search for innovative strategies, programmes and typologies, instrumental for the revitalization of urban spaces and life.

Topic of the Workshop

Haifa and especially its culturally diverse Downtown are presently experiencing a gradual renaissance. In this linear district conformed by important infrastructures all the complex urban components of the city including post-industrial areas manifest themselves in a most condensed manner and therefore we propose to focus the work on this area.

Contextual transformation is conceived as a guiding principle to promote interpretation and innovation. It is expected to result in proposals based on analysis of physical structures and patterns as well as political and social issues while being informed by local architectural legacy.

Educational Approach and Methodology

Conceptual experimental practice defines the architecture department of the NB School's approach to architectural education and stems from the integration of scientific, critical and humanistic traditions. The School aspires to promote criticism, challenging both students and teaching staff to a free and open interaction.

The first stage of the work of the Reiseuni students will be integrated within the course of the 4th year NB students. The aim of this stage is to formulate a general urban scheme based on a prior research. Following the conclusions of this urban study, the students will identify and evaluate adequate sites and define key issues in order to develop relevant programs leading to coherent architectural projects.

The team of three tutors that will lead the workshop includes arch. Michal Bar Oz, a graduate of the 2013 Reiseuni program, who will join the "old guard" represented by prof. arch. Horacio Schwartz  and arch. Lenka Cederbaum. Michal is thrilled by taking up this reverse role, fully appreciating the privilege of participating in the program. The Haifa program will also include invited lectures, a Master Class and ArchitecTours to Acre, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and a kibbutz as well, thus introducing the unique variety of built environments in Israel, their history and ideologies that influenced their development.
We invite the students to dream a possible reality, to envision change asking:
"WHAT IF…?"

[Prof. arch. Horacio Schwartz, arch. Lenka Cederbaum, arch. Michal Baroz, Haifa, August, 2014]

>>>More about the Haifa Workshop [Vol:IV Making of • Cycle-03]

Bibliographic Information:
Schwartz, Horacio; Cederbaum, Lenka; Baroz, Michal, Reiseuni in Haifa. In: Reiseuni Report | The Making of. European Architecture Dialogue. Jäger, Dagmar (Ed.); Pieper, Christian (Ed.) et al.; Reiseuni_lab: Berlin, 2017; Vol:III_7., ISBN:978-3-00-055521-3, DOI:10.978.300/0555213, https://www.reiseuni.eu/report/3.07_cluster-tel-aviv/tel-aviv_haifa.htm#hfa3