At a vibrant intersection in downtown Jerusalem, The Architecture Department at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, in collaboration with the Israel Festival Jerusalem and EDEN—the Jerusalem development authority—created a temporary structure for the Israel Festival, which ran from the end of May to mid June of this year.
Located in Zion Square parallel to the tramway line, the pavilion creates a space to host art programs including lectures, concerts, dance performances, video screenings, and theater productions. The structure beautifully frames a dialogue between the urban routine and cultural experiences, giving users a new understanding of the Israel Festival, and of the potential of the spaces within their city.
At 24 meters long, three meters wide, and four meters high, the structure spans between two boxes: the “toolshed,” which encapsulates festival needs, and “the garden,” which acts as an intimate shaded space in the bustling square, featuring benches and enclosed by a curtain. This curtain can further be drawn over the entirety of the pavilion, connecting its two ends and creating a larger event space.
The place—beautiful, inspiring and optimistic at every moment of the day—is a great success at meeting all the goals of this project, said Eyal Sher, Director of the Israel Festival. The main one being bringing the joy of culture to many people of diverse backgrounds, who would not otherwise have the means or the opportunity to experience it - at a unique most pleasant casual and accessible urban yet intimate setting. Along is a sense of community that we don’t experience often as Jerusalem citizens. It's truly heartwarming.
Credits:
Students: Liran Messer, Moti Bachar, Stav Dror
Teacher: Architect Ifat Finkelman, Architect Deborah Pinto Fdeda
News via The Architecture Department, Bezalel academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem.
ArchDaily was introduced to this project thanks to the 2016 Vibe Israel Arch Tour. See more at #VibeArch.
