Future City: Resilient by Data Adoptive by Design

FUTURE CITY:

RESILIENT BY DATA, ADOPTIVE BY DESIGN

BY EREZ ELLA

Jaffa Gateway

Master-planned community in Tel Aviv, Israel

As architects in the era of information, we must utilize technology to manage urban risk and design resilient cities.

Can data help us better understand the ongoing shift in our societies and the urban environment? How can we use data to create sustainable and smart neighborhoods, improving the quality of urban life while providing opportunities for all?

At HQ Architects, we advocate for datadriven solutions that can shape long-term smart city strategies. We believe in the use of data and technology to help us understand social behavior and community needs, translating them into physical space. Our methodology investigates how to design places promoting well-being, economic diversity, and sustainable growth.

The city has always been influenced by three main vectors: technology, economy, and mobility, which are the backbone of any city at any time. The current information revolution is changing all three vectors, and as urban designers and architects, we have a responsibility to reimagine cities to carry the most densified population and changes in societal behavior.

As an attempt to do so, we exploit the fact that there is data everywhere; we just need to pay attention and decide where to look and what to use. Also, instead of using data and tech to measure performances, we use data and tech to create experiences. It might sound like a minor difference, but we believe that the combination of data, society, and sustainability can create great experiences and, therefore, great cities.

Jaffa Gateway

This neighborhood remains the last area in Tel Aviv with an active local industry. It contradicts the municipality’s official position to have a resilient city and preserve places for its different populations, including the creative class that mostly uses local manufacturers. We started extensive research, gathering information from many sources, and found that the area is a major destination for young professionals. We also noticed that the nature of manufacturing is changing from dirty and polluting to clean and local—proof that new manufacturing can stay in the city without creating hazardous environments.

Our suggestion was rather simple but radical. We suggested eliminating underground parking and having free-of-car streets. We suggested developing each side on its own, allowing the transfer of building rights from one side to another. And as a tool for the municipality, we created software that documents the businesses, ecosystem, and connections and allows the urban planners and architects to suggest plans allowing essential manufacturers to continue and operate from their locations. Hopefully, this mechanism will create a variety of interesting, resilient neighborhoods that will allow their current inhabitants to stay and live in the city.

Sheba Medical Center

Sheba Hospital is the largest hospital in Israel and ranked ninth in the best hospitals in the world. To accommodate the needs of the growing population, it needs to triple in size in 25 years. HQ Architects suggested taking advantage of the site’s topography and separating all movements of the hospital into four main networks: the infrastructure, the medical network, the general public and visitors, and vehicles.

©HQ ARCHITECTS

Erez Ella

Founder, HQ Architects

Tel Aviv, Israel

Erez Ella founded HQ Architects in 2008 after spending several years as an associate at OMA and as principal at REX, where he led the TVCC project in Beijing, the design of the second scheme of the Whitney Museum in New York, and oversaw the design of the Wyly Theatre in Dallas. Today, he leads design work for projects worldwide, including public spaces and infrastructure, cultural and educational projects, offices, hotels, and retail.