Architect

This project deals with the creation of a living and working space that integrates the elderly in the community while paying attention to their health needs, on the one hand, and their identity and place in society, on other hand, which are undermined by their retirement and the stigmas surrounding their peers.

The new space provides several employment options for its adult residents (including the seniors). It's achieved through various specially designed local programs -  some of them are "regular", such as a shopping center, and some are "unique", such as a "Life Documentation Center" or a cooperative kindergarten. To ensure its success, the complex is a neighborhood center, and as such, it contains important community services that attract an audience that will be exposed to its uniqueness.

The complex does not appeal to a wealthy crowd (as opposed to the well-known retirement villages in the USA) and, nevertheless, tries to provide high-quality public spaces and diverse meeting places to form a community life. Because of the economical aspect of the project, I decided on a design concept related to the idea of handing over or "second hand". I achieved this by building  shelves in the walls and gates (which are used to mark the main road), where one can put all the objects he no longer needs, an action that creates an organic system on the site within the community and provides a "find the treasure" experience.

Finally, this is a Jerusalem residential complex, so dealing with it involves heavy topography and an increased need for accessibility. Because of this, the entire area is accessible via ramps adjacent to the buildings, the walls of which are recessed seating areas.