The Rishon Lezion municipality held an invited competition for the new quarter at the west part of the city, near the Moshe Dayan intersection of the Ayalon highway. Intended to function as a secondary metropolitan center, the quarter will include combined areas of employment. Six architecture offices participated in the competition:  Yaad Planners (the winner); Zarhi Architects; arch. Harry Brand; Mansfeld-Kehat Architects; arch. Tzadok Sherman; and arch. Dov Koren. The winning plan of Yaad Architects focused on granting the domain a representative identity, especially through the façade open to the Ayalon highway. The quarter will include three focal components around an urban park citing the surrounding dunes. The buildings will be climate-aware with shading, protected yards, water collection, and systems for encouraging use of public transportation.

A two-stage competition for urban installations at Zahal Square, Safra Square and Generali Square, at the center of Jerusalem, is open to architects, landscape architects, sculptors, and designers from Israel and abroad. The design of the squares is part of the Jerusalem center development project called “Landmark”. The essence of the project: placing a number of urban installations at several key points of the city center, with the idea of reviving them as places for interaction between the inhabitants and guests. The jury will include architects Eri Goshen, city engineer Shlomo Eshkol, city architect Ofer Manor, Ayala Tzarfati, Kenny Segal, Yikie Molcho, and Anat Tzur. Last date for submission - 22/8/10 (16:00). www.isra-arch.org.il

The final date for the competition for the civic and culture domain of Holon has been extended. The domain will include a new municipality building, concert hall, music center, commerce domain, offices and residences. The final date for submission - 7/10/10. Tel: 03-6536000

Architects Oren On, Sharon Fishman-Shemesh and Nancy Sandelovitch won the competition for the Stella Maris slope in Haifa. Characterized by a unique topography, the site creates a dramatic meeting of mountain/sea, city/ forest, built/unbuilt. The proposal is based on the development of a unique interaction spaces in the spirit of the place: a multi-layered transport system - paths for walking and riding; a suspended promenade including observation and exhibition pavilions; boutique hotels; and a green system exploiting the wind energy and movement at the site. 

The winners of this year’s Rokah Prize were architect Ram Eisenberg, for the Hahaskalah Blvd. Park in Tel Aviv, and Meislitz-Cassif Architects for the Remez-Arlozoroff community center. The plan for the Hahaskalah Park converted a desolate pine grove to an active neighborhood park, connecting the old Bitzaron neighborhood with a new one planned instead of the existing industrial area. The Remez domain was honorary mention in the building category of the Project of the Year Competition (AI 80, www.aiq.co.il). The jury included architects Amnon Bar Or (chair), Shimon Filtzer, Ami Shinar Ayala Ronel and Eran Neuman. 

Exhibitions and Events

The exhibition “Grey Area” of the UMAMY design group, in co-operation with iMatter of the Holon Design Museum, deals with the practical and esthetic aspects of concrete. Beit Meirov, Holon http://www.imatter.org.il  www.imatter.org.il  

Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of events (till the end of the month), and exhibitions showing till the beginning of October. 89 Hanasi Blvd., Haifa. Tel: 04-8383554  www.hma.org.il

Holon Mayor Moti Sasson was chosen by the British economy magazine “Monocle” as one of the ten most prominent mayors in the world, for his contribution to “the reinvention of the city”. Would sound promising, if the British tourist magazine “Conde Nest” hadn’t previously defined the Holon Design Museum as “one of the world’s ten wonders”. Although Ron Arad’s building is definitely reminiscent of some of his furniture, let’s not get carried away.

The Israel Museum was re-inaugurated after having undergone three years of reorganization, renovation and extension. Three new wings were planned by American designer James Carpenter; the architects in charge were Asaf Lerman and Tammy Yaniv; and the programme was prepared by Zvi Efrat and Meira Kovalski who also took care of the interior, and - together with the British firm Pentagram - the new Bronfman Archaeology section. Considering that the museum is one of the ten largest in the world, and definitely one of the most important in Israel, it is inconceivable that no open competition was conducted!!!  

The second Bat-Yam Biennale of Urban Landscape Architecture will take place during Succot. Dealing with the culture of life in the urban space, the biennale examines new possibilities of interaction between the inhabitants of the most densely populated city in the country, and the designers, who gain fine exposure. 

Former Minister of Education Prof. Yuli Tamir has been appointed President of the Shenkar College for Design. Tamir is replacing Prof. Amotz Weinberg who presided over the college for the last 16 years. Yuli Tamir was one of the founders of Peace Now with Tzali Reshef and architect Amir Mann, and taught in the Depts. of Philosophy and Education at TAU.

Students

The final projects of students from the landscape architecture track at Ort Kfar Saba dealt with reorganization of existing parks. Among the most original: The Garden of Heaven by Shai Katz, and the Jerusalem Poems Park by Riva Waldman, where people may enjoy poems written over the history of the city. 

Tutors: Arch. Eran Halevi, Arch. Nili Blumenkrantz, and Arch.Rotem Apfel.

The Dept of Architecture at the Ariel University Center announced a competition for the planning and building of a concrete canoe. Open to all architecture students in the country, each team of 8 students and a tutor will be asked to produce unique oars as well - the only non-concrete element. The practical stage will take place on September 3rd at the Kinneret, and will include sailing the canoe one km by manual rowing only. Registration is closed, but with a little pull anything can be done, so just say I sent you.

In several competitions announced by the Haifa Municipality and the Haifa Economic Corporation, six out of seven awards went to students of the Architecture Dept. at the Haifa Wizo Academic Center. Three additional prizes were awarded in the architects’ track, to the department’s graduates Doron Minin, and arch. Ron Zaks of Malka Architects. Something good is happening there. 

Books

Rem Koolhaas’ book “Delirious New York” was published in Hebrew by Babel Publishers. Telling the story of the city’s development, the book was first published in English in 1978, becoming a best-seller among architects, New-Yorkers, and general culture-lovers. Rem Koolhaas combines professional analysis with street-wise insights, accompanied by illustrations, photos and maps. The Israeli edition has a later text written by Koolhaas after the 9/11/01 terrorist attack. 

320 pages, 178 shekels, and reduction for the AI. subscribers. Michal Pikin Barness at 052-5558597.   

Keep in touch

Rachel

ruchi@netvision.net.il

illustrations ahead