The “Ganei Shapira”
project is built on a 1 Acre plot, owned by the Tel Aviv municipality. It
is located between Tueri Zahav Street and De Modina Steet.
The project includes
69 apartments which are available for rent under the Affordable
Housing scheme. 42 apt are 3 bed room apt.(around 80 sq/m), 27 apt are 4-5
bedroom apt (90-120 sq./m).
In planning the project,
a special emphasis was given to the open communal spaces and to the
neighbourhood's green spaces.
We examined several
planning alternatives for the project. The chosen plan has the highest
potential to enable the community to evolve as a real collegial neighbourhood,
in the spirit of old times a kind of an "Urban Kibbutz".
The centre of the
project is the communal space in the middle which serves as a passage through
the project to the park and as the entrance area to the buildings.
The space also
serves as a natural continuation to and from the green spaces through which the
residents can reach De Modina Garden.
This architectural
design is a modern interpretation of the “Shikun” residential housing projects
that were built during the years of the massive immigration to Israel
(1950-1960). However, unlike the old neighbourhoods, the Shapira housing
project will benefit from high building standards.
This project will
serve the Shapira neighbourhood by attracting middle class families to the area,
thus giving a valid and compelling response by the authorities to the demands
of the middle classes from the “Rothchild protest” last summer.
The project is a
unique opportunity whereby the Tel Aviv municipality provides a substantial
plot for the benefit of the community.
It
is important that such an opportunity be properly used, both for affordable
housing for the middle class and as lever of urban renewal of Shapira