Pavilion Bezalel
2022
The Bezalel Pavilion presented an exceptional opportunity for outstanding students to design and build a temporary structure in the heart of Jerusalem, in close collaboration with the municipality and industry professionals. Building on this framework, the pavilion was held in 2022 as a collaborative project led by the Department of Architecture, together with the Departments of Visual Communication and Visual and Material Culture. In partnership with the Eden Company and the Jerusalem Municipality, the teams planned a temporary structure that would introduce a new cultural presence into the city center. In that year, with Bezalel’s historic return to downtown Jerusalem, the pavilion established a temporary landmark that signaled the academy’s future permanent presence in the area. It served as an open platform for all art and design departments at Bezalel, inviting the public to experience exhibitions, workshops, and encounters with the academy’s creative community.
Pavilion Workshop, 2nd Year
The pavilion was designed as a temporary structure within the public space of central Jerusalem, aiming to introduce a new cultural presence into a dense and established urban fabric. Its design is based on a lightweight modular system composed of repeated units that align with the site’s steep topography. This modular approach enabled a fast planning and construction process, while providing a high degree of flexibility to accommodate exhibition layouts and the pavilion’s evolving uses throughout its period of operation.
The intervention at the site took into account the public circulation, existing stairways, and movement lines, ensuring that the pavilion did not create a barrier but rather complemented the street and introduced a new system of openings, views, and transparencies. The use of materials such as polycarbonate and steel created a light, almost semi-invisible texture that allows the structure to blend into the Jerusalem streetscape without competing with the surrounding stone architecture.
The pavilion was designed as a temporary structure within the public space of central Jerusalem, aiming to introduce a new cultural presence into a dense and established urban fabric. Its design is based on a lightweight modular system composed of repeated units that align with the site’s steep topography. This modular approach enabled a fast planning and construction process, while providing a high degree of flexibility to accommodate exhibition layouts and the pavilion’s evolving uses throughout its period of operation.
Inside, the spaces were designed to accommodate a wide range of uses — exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and public events. The layout allowed for flexible placement of elements, the opening and closing of partitions, and a dynamic play of natural light throughout the day. In this way, the pavilion became a lively and adaptable environment, responding to changes in weather, human movement, and the cultural activities taking place within it.
In the end, the pavilion functioned as an open public space, offering a new cultural experience in the heart of Jerusalem. It demonstrated how a temporary structure can generate urban value, expand the possibilities of public space, and serve as a meeting point between community, academia, and creative practice.
