Amnon Bar Or, Tal Gazit
We suggest a practical approach for conserving two privately owned iconic buildings designed by Erich Mendelsohn. Both buildings were designed during his time in Mandatory Palestine, they are located in the heart of the city and are part of the historic urban landscape of Western Jerusalem:
Residence Of Salman Schocken, 1934 – 1936 in Rehavia.
Anglo-Palestine Bank, 1937 – 1939 on Jaffa Street.
Both buildings have been recognized as having cultural heritage values, yet for years they have been the subject for various initiatives, ignoring the buildings’ historic values. In Israel, economic feasibility usually relies on private projects and the public usually cannot access the buildings. However, there are examples from around the world of historical buildings that have been designated public uses, exposing the public to their cultural values. We should adopt this approach and create a balance between preservation requirements and economic viability.
We believe that the solution can be achieved through a three-tiered method:
Restore – conservation of the building and returning it to its original state, preserving its cultural values at the highest level.
Reduce – Use the mechanism of TBR (Transfer of Building Rights), giving the private owner an incentive to preserve the historic building and build a new structure elsewhere, whilst receiving additional building rights as a compensation.
Reclaim – creating a practical architectural solution that will preserve the cultural heritage values of the buildings, and define significant parts of it as publicly accessible.
In our lecture we will give a brief introduction to, past, present, and future issues related to these tiers, proposing the guidelines for a conservation-centered approach.
We hope that this program will be an example for an integrated solution.
Amnon Bar Or – Tal Gazit Architects Ltd. Since its establishment by architect Amnon Bar Or in the Old City of Safed in 1978, the office concentrated on planning and management of the Safed Old City’s Restoration Project and planning of the preservation and restoration in the excavations of the Roman-Byzantine City in Bet-She`an.
In 1990, the office switched its main arena to Tel Aviv. Within the parameters of its activities, the office deals with historical and architectural documentation; planning of preservation and restoration; planning and reuse of historic buildings for contemporary needs and preservation and development of historic sites.
Within the framework of its activities in historic Tel Aviv, the office planned the architectural preservation of some of the most significant historical sites in the city, such as Levine House (the Old Russian Embassy, 46 Rothschild St., Tel Aviv) and the planning, preservation and relocation of buildings in the Sarona Templar Colony (Kaplan St. Tel Aviv).
Amnon Bar Or. Prof. Architect, General Manager and Owners. Born in 1951. Established his independent firm “Amnon Bar Or Architects Ltd.” in 1990. General Manager and owners ever since
Tal Gazit. Architect, Partner. Born in 1980. Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Haifa Technion (2009). Joined the office in 2009. Associate Partner since 2012. Partner since 2016