Givatayim, Hertzlyia

ECOWEEK 2017 Projects in Tilburg, The Netherlands

A Bio-Based Approach to Design

ECOWEEK took place in Tilburg, the Netherlands on May 7-13, 2017 in collaboration with Avans University of Applied Sciences. The international conference and design-build workshops proposed bio-based interventions in the city of Tilburg, to promote environmental awareness, through design and construction workshops, that experimented with cutting-edge technologies and age-old construction techniques. For example, bricks made from agricultural leftovers such as plant stems and seed husks, bound together with mycelium and “grown” in molds instead of oven-baked; concrete mixed with bacteria that precipitate calcium carbonate as a waste product to make concrete more durable and reduce maintenance costs, and biodegradable packaging and furnishings made with 3D printing based on fungi. ECOWEEK 2017 was organized by Gie Steenput and Michiel Smits, hosting speakers Sue Spaid, Jacob Voorthuis, Han Wösten, Wim Goes, Eric Klarenbeek and ronald rovers, and keynote speaker research chemist Michael Braungart co-author of Cradleto-Cradle, who also joined the workshop proposals critic. The workshops explored bio-mimetics and the social and environmental impact of design, testing construction practices with natural materials and low-impact technologies. “A product which people cannot make a living is not a good product, a product which become waste has a quality problem”, said keynote speaker Michael Braungart after his ECOWEEK lecture, to Maria Luisa Palumbo interview for domus.

W3: Biomimicry Inspired Design

WorKSHoP Leaders: Lydia Fraaije-Beukes and Ilse van rosmalen.

WorKSHoP team: Swen Broeken, Ruud de Brouwer, Alexandros Comunello, Peter de Wijs, Eugeny van de Manakker, Gerwin van den Boogaart, Jordy van Es, Philip Verbiest, Stefan Verheij, and Claire Wright.

The workshop centered on concepts of biomimicry, to improve design process by capitalizing on almost four billion years of experience by nature, designing products that are “grown” instead of “made”.

W4: Myth Busters

WorKSHoP Leaders: Jasper Sluis and Willem Böttger.

WorKSHoP team: Altin Boshnjaku, Sümeyra Demir, Danny Ketelaars, Koen Marcelissen, Jeroen van de Sande, and Martijn de Weger.

The workshop introduced concepts of biomimicry focusing on scaffold structures, combining blocks made of straw and mycelium set on a wooden framework. Within a week, the organism grew and started to bind the elements together.

W5: Wilhelmina Water Channel:

WorKSHoP Leader: Paul Kersten.

WorKSHoP team: Art Bejtullahu, Priscilla de Hoogh, Esmee Dieteren, Joost Padberg, Calvin Soekimo, David Steijger, and Lars Willemsen.

The workshop concentrated on the identity of Tilburg and its transformation from an industrial city. It focused on the Wilhelmina Water Canal, used to transport materials and goods, but abandoned in the 1970s, using video as a tool to investigate, communicate, construct a shared vision.

W7: Building a Monument for a Refugee in Straw and Earth

WorKSHoP Leaders: cornelis Nuijten and Hilde Vanwildemeersch, with Els van den Veyver and Syrian refugee Jameel Hadidi.

WorKSHoP team: Suad Aaden, Hani Azzawi, Fadia Baabduh, Rafia Dadi, Jonas Donkers, Sem Joosten, Atdhe Lila, Thomas Nauta, Tom Schoonwater, Tijmen Snellen, Anke Thijssen, Damian van der Velden, and Bob Wooninck.

The workshop created a monument inside a church to commemorate the destroyed Monastery of Mar Musa – a place of encounter and meditation for all religions, using the traditional technique of wooden groove and pin joints, and straw bales.

W9: Build with Void

WorKSHoP Leaders: Argjirë Krasniqi and Gëzim Paçarizi (Kosovo).

WorKSHoP team: Mathijs de Wit, Amber d’Haens, Thomas Hoeven, Dennis Pas, Pelle Rademakers, Maud van Dijck, Anouk van Strien, and Vince Verhaegh.

The workshop aimed to “build with void”, i.e. construct with as little material as possible and developing a sensibility for space. This was achieved with modularity and repetition of a simple building element, taking the form of a transparent tower of triangular wooden modules in inverted V shape.

W10: Renovating with Straw ‘de Roomley’

WorKSHoP Leaders: Wouter Klijn and Gie Steenput.

WorKSHoP team: Robert Jonkhart, Jorn Gelderblom, Davy Mens, Ger van Breugel, Taco van Kruijssen, Jasper van Stein, and Lucas Vreeswijk.

Straw and wood were the working materials in this workshop, investigating a possible full scale redevelopment of a gymnasium in Udenhout, a suburb of Tilburg. The community was involved in the evaluation of solutions based on natural materials.

W11: Mega Furniture

WorKSHoP Leaders: Wouter Stoer (ONIX).

WorKSHoP team: Job de Meijer, Willem Evers, Jeremy Hakkel, Maarten Heck, Glodi Lugungu, Evelien van Corven, Remco van den Broek, Tim van der Lee, Sanne van Haasteren, and Lieke Vullers.

The workshop used wood in the form of pallets, without adhesives to preserve their potential for reuse. The objective was to develop modularity through an articulated scaffold structure that provides a play area for climbing, as well as a place to sit, located on three train tracks.

ECOWEEK 2017 Projects in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Jerusalem, Givatayim, Hertzlyia, Israel Placemaking in Public Places

On September 10-15, 2017ECOWEEK organized a week of Placemaking with workshops on Sustainable Design and interventions in public spaces in different locations in Israel. The event was hosted at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) in Holon. The goal of the week was to create new and concrete ideas for real projects, where students get a feel of the real world and how their creative ideas can impact real communities. The goal of ECOWEEK was to find projects that also offered potential for further development and implementation, thus developing cooperation with institutions and local authorities and to focus on projects that were high in priority in their planning agenda. The workshops were held in different locations, exploring different communities, locations and programmatic requirements. “This was a week of exceptional experience for students, were architects, landscape architects, designers and engineers, representatives of organizations and social and environmental organizations came together for practical co-design hands-on workshops focusing on social and environmental sustainability. To learn and train with experts from Israel, Norway, Germany and Belgium and network with students from Israel, Germany and the Netherlands.” E.M.

W1: Interventions on the Roof of the Dizengoff Center, Tel Aviv

WorKSHoP Leaders: Zameret Harel-Kanot and rivka Sternberg. Consultant: Bracha Kunda.

WorKSHoP team: Dana Guez, Shaked Kahana, Ariella Ollech, Danielle Tessler, and Biana Zakutnik.

The workshop developed interventions to convey messages and create experiences on the roof of the shopping mall, using diverse media, in order to stimulate dialogue, play, and public involvement, such as promoting produce of urban agriculture on the roof of the mall.

W2: Green Roofs in Jerusalem

WorKSHoP Leaders: Joe ruff (Germany), Hanna Gribetz, Yonatan Alon and Ishai Hanun. Consultant: Elias Messinas.

WorKSHoP team: Hadar Baduch Spiro, Or Gabay, Yaara Herling, Sapir Pinhas, Efrat Rabina, and Samer Salhab.

The workshop, which was hosted at the Jerusalem Model House of the Jerusalem Municipality, was linked to the “Sacred Festival” of Jerusalem, and the community on the roof of the Clal office building in downtown Jerusalem. The project proposed a green roof on the adjacent Avraham’s hostel connecting to the Clal roof and thus proposing an infrastructure for urban agriculture and volunteer activity in the city center.

W3: Design and Interventions

WorKSHoP Leaders: Bracha Kunda, Galia Hanoch-roe (Tel Aviv Communities of the Society for the Protection of Nature), and Yifat Keidar (Community Gardens). Consultant: Elias Messinas.

WorKSHoP team: Shani Azran, Vincent de Vries, Rom Even, Asi Hager, Anna Iossifov, Raymond Plat, and Dana Porat.

The workshop was hosted and worked with the Enosh Center for employment for people suffering from mental illness in Givatayim, aiming to create the infrastructure for the center to become a sustainability center serving the local community. The workshop proposed furniture design, interior design, and landscape solutions.

W4: Placemaking in Shapira neighborhood, South Tel Aviv W6: Placemaking and Renewal in Jaffa

WorKSHoP Leaders: Alise Plavina (PirII, Norway) and ohad Yehieli. Consultant: Elias Messinas.

WorKSHoP team: Nofar Alon, Dafna Broza, Noga David, Irit Gaaton, Noa Holzman, Amit Orbach, Tslil Penso, Maayan Sela, and Dar Stern.

The workshop was hosted at the Tel Aviv ‘Platform’ hub and integrated in a larger project of renewal of Mesilat Yesharim street in the Shapira neighborhood in Tel Aviv. The street serves mixed communities of immigrants and veterans and small businesses, who were partners in the design process WorKSHoP Leaders: Elias Messinas and reut Pupkin. Consultant: Bracha Kunda.

WorKSHoP team: Sapir Argaman, Yael Gazit, Tanya Gershman, Ziv Shefer, and Hila Sion.

Organized in cooperation with the local authority of Jaffa, the ‘Mutav Yahdav’ program, the local community, and local businesses, the workshop aimed to employ placemaking to make a pedestrian path preferred by residents and children, and thus encourage safe walking in the neighborhood, and between neighborhoods Jaffa G and Neve Golan.

W5: Par(king) Day - International Par(king) Day

WorKSHoP Leaders: Guy Steenput (Belgium) and roni Miro. In cooperation with Merhav and Magma Yeruka initiators of the Park(ing) Day (September 15, 2017). Consultants: Bracha Kunda and Elias Messinas.

WorKSHoP team: Peter Bosche, Anke Leemans, Aukje Gielen, and Jordy van Gorkum.

ECOWEEK collaborated with ‘Merhav’ and ‘Megama Yeruka’ to propose an installation for the annual Park(ing) Day in downtown Hertzlyia. This international event activates artists, architects, designers and citizens around the world, to temporarily turn parking spaces into public space, promoting critical dialogue on the use of urban space and environmental and social justice