Be’er Sheva Architecture, Architects, Buildings, Urban Development, Pictures, Designs

Be’er Sheva Buildings : Architecture

New Architectural Developments in the Negev Desert, southern Israel

12 May 2013

Architecture in Be’er Sheva

Be’er Sheva (population 185,000) is the sixth largest city in Israel after Jerusalem (801,000), Tel Aviv (404,000), Haifa (266,000) and others. It is located in the Negev Desert, in southern Israel.

e-architect were guests of Kinetis a non-profit organisation with no connection to the government. We focused on key contemporary buildings in Israel but also met architects, urbanists and clients.

We started off by looking at an area of 20th Century housing in Be’er Sheva. We focused on two developments, one being low-rise patio housing, the other being a 200m long megastructure.

The low-rise housing looked unattractive and was in a fairly poor state of repair, with low-quality materials and landscaping. However it was clear from our cursory visit that residents had personalised their properties and that there was a palpable sense of community. There was life on the street with houses either side of walkways opening onto this long partially-covered space. Residential space shifted back and forth to the walkway and over it in a typical Modernist idiom.

Be’er Sheva housing:

photographs © Adrian Welch

photographs © Adrian Welch

We then crossed a heavy concrete bridge deck towards the megastructure – below are a small group of shops and cafes with some greenery interspersed. The taxi kiosk could be such a great building – for example with roll-out canopies for the drivers playing cards outside (it rained here for a few minutes, the only time on our week-long visit) – and improvement of buildings like this could have such a positive influence on the community. For minimal cost coordinated bottom-up interventions could help galvanise what is clearly a rather beleaguered community, assuming there is no finance for totally redeveloping the housing and walkways (this will need to be done sooner or later however).

Public realm in Be’er Sheva ; taxi kiosk ; vegetation

photographs © Adrian Welch

The megastructure contains immigrants to Israel, where they receive subsidised housing as they go through the process of trying to find employment. The building needs a heavy dose of TLC, but is typical of megastructures across the world in that its monolithic nature seems to create an air of anonymity and impenetrability. The residents had not managed to personalise it as much as the more long-term residents had on the other side of the bridge in the low-rise housing.

Be’er Sheva megastructure:

photographs © Adrian Welch

photographs © Adrian Welch

This massive housing block reminded me of this Scottish megastructure:

Cumbernauld Town Centre

photo © Dag Nilsen

We then headed east towards the university quarter.

Walkway from Ben Gurion University campus to a Be’er Sheva railway station:

photographs © Adrian Welch

Be’er Sheva railway station building:

photograph © Adrian Welch

Ben Gurion University buildings, Be’er Sheva – BGU campus:

photographs © Adrian Welch

photographs © Adrian Welch

University Senate Center Beer-Sheva
Chyutin Architects

photograph : Ardon Bar Hama
University Senate Center Beer-Sheva

BGU University Entrance Square & Art Gallery
Chyutin Architects

picture from architect
BGU University Art Gallery

Beit Halochem Rehabilitation Center, just southeast of Beer Sheva
Kimmel Eshkolot Architects

photograph © Adrian Welch
Beit Halochem – new images + review