THE SQUARE
INSIDE
A HUT A PROJECT FOR MEDITERRANEAN
HOUSE OFFICE IN JERUSALEM
Joaquín García Marín
contents Background The building References
4 14 31
Sukkot (from Jewish cult., relig.):
1. Religious holiday to celebrate God’s protection during Egyp’s exodus that takes place during the harvest. 2. A holiday where Jewish citizens build a shelter in the street, where they transfer part of their home furniture and develope their normal activity during a week. See also: Sukkah, Sechach.
Jerusalem’s street during Sukkot holidays.
Sukkah
(from Jewish cult., relig.): 1. Shelter used by Jewish people for Sukkot celebration . Based on pannels over which a special ceiling of fresh cut vegetal leaves is laid. See also: Sukkot, Sechach.
sukkah device
“The clouds of glory miraculously sheltered the Jewish people from the heat of the sun while they travelled through the Sinai desert. That’s why the sechach is the main element of the sukkah, the one that makes a sukkah a sukkah and not a simple hut. The sukkah is meant for shade from the sun, just like those clouds did”. Rabi Eliezer
Sechach
fun God intimacy
detachable
visibility furniture ritual celebration
weather spirituality filters share light routine
public shade holiday space tissue protection skin natural
dimensions, materials restrictions.
turns
ture
s
mix
hit
g
arc
gin
an
ect
arr
ure
culture
compatibility
mobile sukkah NYC
casa mediterraneo in jerusalem
location
The building is located in the city of Jerusalem, in the middle of Zion Square. This place is in the nearby of the Old City and the Holy center of Jerusalem. This neighborhood was built in the early years of XXth Century, becoming at that moment a cultural center plenty of theaters, cafes and shops. After 60’s decade there has been a significant decay due to political matters. The project aims to start a revitalization of the area developing a public space linked to the program. The shape of the square is determined by the confluence of several streets.
Zion Square (1934)
concept
The idea of sechach becomes the main element in the device, as it works as an interface that promotes interaction between the mild Mediterranean climate and the interior activities. For the design of the building, a series of layers of natural tissues, are placed vertically to work as the sechach. These layers are conceived as filters that works in two directions, limitating the degree of light coming inside (that can be regulated separatedly for the different zones inside), and also defining the shape and the dimension of the spaces for the different uses. The vertical stripes can be configured to adopt any lenght and form any section convenient to any activity in terms of height and surface. It can be configured in a “sechach mode�, too, that means changing their lenght in relation to the weather conditions, limiting the incoming light in accordance with Jewish conventions, promoting a large Kosher space.
REST.
UNCOVERED PUBLIC SPACE
AUD. UNCOVERED PUBLIC SPACE
SQUARE
C.M.
SERV.
The six point star, extremely iconic for Jewish culture becomes a starting point to develope the functioning of the building, in which uses are complletely linked. The shape gives a strong visibility to the project from many different points of the city from the horizontal pedestrian point of view. The height is considered not to excess over the existing buildings, as the flat surface skyline of the city should not be interrupted. It is extremely important for the development of the project the direction of natural light and its intensity during the day, in order to place the right uses at the right place, and to configure tissues densities and colors, to control the lighting imput.
initial building scheme
The density and the colour or the tissue that conforms the vertical stripes is determined by the use of a particular place inside de building. In the auditorium a very neutral continuos light is provided by long white stripes. In the central space, however, a multiple colour stripe configuration and heights of more that twenty meters long will enable many different dispositions in order to lodge as many situations as users may search for.
the Sechach
the platforms
the square
AUDITORIUM
VIEWER
EXHIBITION + OFFICES
RESTAURANT
EXHIBITION
OFFICES
SERVICE AREA
SUKKAH MUSEUM RECEPTION
max. h. 15 m.
terrace viewer
auditorium
manager office + meeting room
max. h. 10 m.
workshop + auditorium viewer
public square multipurpose area max. h. 19 m.
exhibition multipurpose
workshop + auditorium viewer
max. h. 10 m.
restaurant & storage area
offices
offices moving reception desk
groundfloor uses
first floor uses
second floor uses
North-south section
E. 1:100
east-west elevation + section
E. 1:100
references Drawings: Langarita-Navarro Model: Sou Fujimoto Document: design media publishing