Engineered Paradises

ENGINEERED PARADISES
A Nation of Purgation and Catharsis in
the West Bank
A Thesis by Zarith Pineda, Academic Supervision by Professor Graham Owen, Tulane School of Architecture ‘15

CONTENT
I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies & Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
5
7
21
27
47
53
65
2

"Once, a city was divided in two parts. One part became the Good Half, the other part the Bad Half. The inhabitants of
the Bad Half began to flock to the good part of the divided city, rapidly swelling into an urban exodus. If this situation had
been allowed to continue forever, the population of the Good Half would have doubled, while the Bad Half would have
turned into a ghost town. After all attempts to interrupt this undesirable migration had failed, the authorities of the bad
part made desperate and savage use of architecture: they built a wall around the good part of the city, making it completely
inaccessible to their subjects. The Wall was a masterpiece."
- Exodus, Rem Koolhaas
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
3

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies &Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
4

STATEMENT
The city of Hebron in the Occupied West Bank/
Israel is shared by the nations of Palestine and Israel due to
their respective claims of ownership over religious sites and
territories. Hebron suffers from a unique condition of complex
segregations through invisible and visible dimensions
that greatly harm the quality of life of its citizens- an apartheid
that creates great tension and distrust among them.
Through the deployment of nationless ‘engineered paradises’
at the urban scale, the thesis aims to create a respite from
the complex spacial formalities of life in the West Bank,
constructing safe spaces for catharsis and purgation.
ABSTRACT
Cohabitation in contested territories is extremely
difficult, especially when there is an occupying power
and an occupied people sharing the same area and have limited
access to each other’s exclusive domains. Throughout
history, these conditions have been temporal - usually, one
of the two powers gains control of the area and the other
is exiled or forced to assimilate. In the case of the city of
Hebron in the Occupied West Bank/Israel this will never be
a reality. Due to its religious importance to Jews, Muslims,
and Arabs, Hebron will always be seen by the state of Israel
and the nation of Palestine as ‘theirs’, a condition formalized
as part of The Protocol Concerning the Redeployment
in Hebron of 1997. As a result of the protocol the city was
meticulously segregated down to the block and building
scale. Currently, 80% of Hebron is Palestinian (H1) while
20% is Israeli (H2). Even though Palestinian Hebron is
larger, it is under complete Israeli military control while
H2’s only constraint is limited entry to H1. These divisions
are extremely complex as there is no wall around the city
to differentiate both ‘neighborhood nations.’ Hebron is a
complex metropolis of layers assigned by altitude, religious
affiliation and military strategy. Hebronites experience various
privileges and restrictions depending on their national
affiliation, a reality that incubates resentments between
both communities. The thesis aims to create nationless
spaces, unaffiliated ‘engineered paradises’ deployed at the
urban scale, to provide a respite from the toxicity of the
Arab-Israeli conflict.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
5

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies & Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
6

SHARED HISTORY
The Arab-Israeli conflict is mistakenly thought to
be a religious dispute between Jews and Muslims. However,
this could not be farther from the truth. To more accurately
describe the conflict, it will be defined as a nationalist conflict
for the purposes of this investigation. Arab nationalism
and Zionism comprise dimensions that go beyond faith
and include; a shared identity, perspectives on land ownership,
ethnicity, and language. The differing perspectives
on land ownership within these nationalistic movements
have a direct spacial translation and therefore architectural
and urban implications. To quote Eyal Weizman, Israeli
architect and expert on forensic and occupation architecture,
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a clear spatial, role
in its unfolding. Architecture was presented as a political
issue, and furthermore as the material product of politics
itself.” 1 Architecture has been used as a political weapon in
this conflict, its creation and destruction used to promote
destructive nationalistic agendas. The Zionist nationalist
movement implemented carefully designed, spatially crafted
policy to displace the existing Arab populations of Palestine
in order to found its Jewish State. The aim of this
investigation is to identify the forces behind these decisions
and their implications to propose a vehicle for a mediating
architectural intervention. The thesis will be concentrated
on the bi-national city of Hebron, a metropolis in the heart
of the West Bank, that seems to be destined to a future
of seemingly interminable tension and cruelty. Through a
deployment of ‘engineered paradises’ the thesis seeks the
formalization of an unidentified nationalistic movement in
the quest of catharsis and purgation from the tensions of
life under occupation.
The success of these engineered paradises lies in
the acknowledgment of historical precedents of mutual collaboration
and understanding between both Arab and Jewish
cultures. Historically, both parties had held each other
in high regard as ‘people of the book.’ In fact, the Muslim
calendar begins with Muhammad’s move to Yathrib (Medina)
in 622 AD. At the time, Yathrib was a wealthy Arab
trading center comprised of mostly Judaic Arab tribes. It
was in the hopes of settling feuds among these tribes that
the leadership of Yathrib invited the burgeoning prophet to
mediate the crisis. Indeed, since the foundation of Islam,
Jews and Muslims have esteemed each other. Examples of
coexistence and harmony between both peoples are seen
repeatedly throughout their respective histories. From the
Jewish golden age under the protection of the Umayyad
dynasty in Muslim Cordoba, to the refuge from European
antisemitism in the Ottoman Empire, there is an immense
quantity of shared history and cultural similarities between
both peoples. It is only since the arrival of the Zionist
1 Segal, Rafi, Eyal Weizman, and David Tartakover. A Civilian
Occupation: The Politics of Israeli Architecture. Tel Aviv: Babel,
2003.
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movement to Palestine in the 1919s that this rapport became
jeopardized, but within the context of their shared
history, this is a relatively modern unprecedented occurrence.
CONFLICT
Modern Zionism or Jewish Nationalism was
born after World War I, after the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire in 1918. Radical nationalism and ideals of
self determination were sweeping Europe and resulted in
Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Romania,
Czechoslovakia becoming their own states. Maps were
being redrawn and seemingly every European nationalistic
movement ended in the formalization of its own state.
Catalyzed by Theodor Herzl’s manifesto, A Jewish State, the
modern Zionist movement sought the reunification of all
the Jewish peoples in the land of biblical Eretz Ysrael (Transjordan/Palestine
at the time). Transjordan/Palestine was
part of the Ottoman Empire at the conception of Herzl’s
movement. Census figures of the Ottoman Caliphate from
1850 estimate that there were about 350,000 inhabitants
in Palestine, 85% were Muslim, 11% Christian, and only
4% were Jewish. 2 It is in this context that Zionism began
its quest to displace the existing inhabitants of the region in
order to transplant European Jews, to the ‘promised land.’
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Since the beginning of the first Aliyahs in 1882,
or organized waves of Jewish immigration into Palestine,
the demographics of the region have been altered through
coercion, intimidation and violence. The Faisal-Weizmann
Agreement, one of the first documents detailing the Zionist
plan for a Jewish state in Palestine, states, “all the necessary
measures shall be taken to encourage and stimulate
immigration of Jews into Palestine on a large scale, and as
quickly as possible to settle Jewish immigrants upon the
land through closer settlement and intensive cultivation of
the soil.” 3 Dr. Chaim Weizmann went on to become the
first president of Israel. This almost colonial and imperialist
sentiment is summarized eloquently by Moshe Sharett,
Israel’s first Foreign Minister, “we have forgotten that we
have not come to an empty land to inherit it. But we have
come to conquer a country from the people inhabiting it.” 4
In order to execute this conquest, the Zionist movement
and later Israeli government have used force, coercion, and
deception to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
creating a lost, nationless diaspora.
2 Tessler, Mark A. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.
3 Laqueur, Walter, and Barry M. Rubin. The Israel-Arab Reader:
A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict. New York:
Penguin Books, 2001.
4 Masalha, Nur. The Bible and Zionism, London: Zed Books,
2006.
8

Arabs refer to the ‘necessary measures’ carried
out by the Zionist movement as Al-Nakba Arabic for ‘the
catastrophe’. Beginning with the Israeli victory of the Arab-Israeli
War of 1948, Al-Nakba is seen as the Palestinian
Exodus where about 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were displaced,
roughly 80% of the population. Al-Nakba was the
beginning of the precarious Palestinian ‘refugee problem’
forcing neighboring Arab nations to absorb the displaced
- a migration that further exaggerated issues of Palestinian
identity, inclusion, and acceptance. Al-Nakba also marks
the beginning of institutionalized policies discriminating
against Arabs in questions of land ownership. Decreed by
the First Israeli Government, laws preventing refugees from
returning to their homes or claiming property were first
enacted. 5
1922
Land Ownership
Distribution
2008
Land Ownership
Distribution
Addressing the refugee problem created by Palestinian
Exodus, the United Nations created an imaginary
border to separate the newly formed state of Israel and Palestinian
territories - the Armistice Agreement of 1949.The
Armistice Agreement of 1949 was formally respected until
the Six Day War of 1967, which resulted in the annexation
of Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, some of
the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since 1967, the people of
the previously mentioned territories have lived under and
Israeli military and civilian occupation. For the purposes
of this investigation, the occupation, forced land displacement,
destruction, re-appropriation of property and infrastructure
in these Palestinian territories will be categorized
as acts of urbicide. Urbicide is generally defined as the deliberate
wrecking or killing of a city. 6 In the case of the
Occupied Territories, the aim of urbicide was displacement
of the existing inhabitants for settlement of Jewish immigrants
needed to populate the new Israeli State.
1922
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
Land Ownership Distribution
670,000
84,000
2008
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
5 Human Rights Watch. “Human Rights Watch.” Separate and
Unequal. http://www.hrw.org/print/reports/2010/12/19/separate-and-unequal
(accessed October 14, 2014).
6 Graham, Stephen. Constructing Urbicide by Bulldozer in the
Occupied Territories. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2004.
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9

One of the most striking acts of urbicide during
the Six Day War took place on its last day June 10, 1967.
To commemorate the annexation of East Jerusalem and the
return Mediterranean of Jews to their holiest site, the Wailing Wall, West the Israeli
army destroyed 135 homes to create a congregational
Sea
Bank
plaza for pilgrims and Israeli government processions. “This
resulted in the dramatic expansion of the area facing the
Hebron
wall from 4 meters to 40 meters in depth - a deep walkway
of 120 square meters became the 200,000 meters Dead of the
Western Wall Plaza.” 7 Sea
The residents of the Moroccan Quarter
were given two hours notice to collect their property
and vacate their homes. Fifteen minutes before the arrival
of the bulldozers, an army regiment passed by the residences
announcing a final warning. The bodies of the residents
Israel
who refused to leave their homes were later found in the
wreckage.8 Major Etna Ben Moshe, the officer in charge of
the operation describes its execution:
1948
Land Ownership
Distribution
1967
Land Ownership
Distribution
“Jerusalem Major Teddy Kollek marked on a
piece of paper sites that should be demolished in the neighborhood…
There was a mosque in the area called Al-Burqa
Mosque built on the site where the horse of Prophet Muhammad
ascended to heaven. I said, if the horse ascended
to sky, why shouldn’t the must ascend too! So I crushed it
well, leaving no remains.” 8
1948
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
1,070,000
720,000
Land Ownership Distribution
1967
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
1,2
2,3
Today the Western Wall Plaza is a focus of Jewish nationalism.
It is a religious site but also the site where new Israeli
Defense Force soldiers are sworn in by having their guns
blessed. Thus the narrative of a site with established religious
significance for Arabs is re-framed as a site of national
memory for Israelis. Not only were the residents of the
quarter displaced to accomplish this goal, but a significant
site of Muslim and world heritage was destroyed.
1922
Land Ownership
Distribution
2008
Land Ownership
Distribution
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
7 Bakshi, Anita, Urban Form and Memory Discourses: Spatial
Practices in Contested Cities, Journal of Urban Design,
2014.
8 8 Abowd, Tom. “The Moroccan Quarter: a history of the present.”
Jerusalem Quarterly File 7 (2001): 6-16.
1922
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
670,000
84,000
2008
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
5,
5,
10

erranean
ranean
OCCUPATION
1948
1948
Land Ownership
West
Land
Distribution
Ownership
Bank
West The term ‘illegal occupation’ Distribution is a controversial
one when discussing the territories annexed by Israel
Bank
during the Hebron Six Day War. As was previously mentioned, this
conflict is a nationalistic one with variances in perspectives
Hebron
on land Dead rights and ownership influenced by a myriad of
Sea
factors. Dead Occupation in this discussion will be defined by
Sea
the Article 49 of the Geneva Convention, the international
consensus of legality in cases of mass forcible transfers:
Israel
Israel Art. 49. Individual or mass forcible transfers, as
well as deportations of protected persons from occupied
territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that
of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless
of their motive...
1948
The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer
parts of its own civilian population
1948
Population
Population
P A into L E S the T I territory N I A N it
occupies. 9
P
J
A
E
L
W
E
I S
T
H
I N I A N
J E W I S H
This is the article the rhetoric points to when questioning
the legality of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories.
Since 1967, Israel has embarked on a campaign to
colonize the West Bank and Gaza, with hopes that satellite
settlements would grow to suffocate and expel Arabs from
what are internationally accepted to be Palestinian Territories.
1,070,000
1,070,000
720,000
720,000
1967
1967
Land Ownership
Land
Distribution
Ownership
Distribution
1967
1967
Population
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
P
J
A
E
L
W
E
I S
T
H
I N I A N
J E W I S H
1,280,000
1,280,000
2,380,000
2,380,000
Land Ownership Distribution
Early settlements were influenced by an unofficial
plan by the Ministerial Committee on Settlements in
1967 by labor minister Yigal Alon. The aim of the plan was
to establish a Jewish presence in the West Bank in areas
not populated by Palestinians. The original for these settlements
was made persuasive by claiming 1922 that they would
be necessary to control cities of religious 1922
Land Ownership importance in the
West Bank such as Hebron, Bethlehem, Land
Distribution
Ownership Jericho and Nazareth.
This movement was primarily Distribution influenced by the formation
of a religious lobbying group called Gush Emunim
in 1974, Hebrew for ‘block of the faithful.’ Gush Emunim’s
mission was to pressure the government to expand
and increase settlements on the nationalist basis of religious
rights to the area. This effort was then formalized by the
Israeli cabinet which adopted the Drobbles Plan in 1981
to increase civilian settlement in the occupied West Bank.
5
The rate of growth, expansion and development of these
settlements is extremely alarming.
1922
1922
Population
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
P
J
A
E
L
W
E
I S
T
H
I N I A N
J E W I S H
9 Bar-Yaacov, Nissim. “Applicability of the Laws of War to Judea
and Samaria (The West Bank) and to the Gaza Strip, The.” Isr. L.
Rev. 24 (1990): 485.
670,000
670,000
84,000
84,000
2008
2008
Land Ownership
Land
Distribution
Ownership
Distribution
2008
2008
Population
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
P
J
A
E
L
W
E
I S
T
H
I N I A N
J E W I S H
5,120,000
5,120,000
5,610,000
5,610,000
Land Ownership Distribution
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
11

Currently the West Bank is divided into three areas to
differentiate Israeli settlement territories from Palestinian
towns and villages and their respective governing bodies.
This condition was formalized with the second Oslo Accords
of 1995 with the division of the West Bank into Areas
A, B, C. Area A, makes up roughly three percent of the
West Bank and is under full civil control by the Palestinian
Authority, entry into this area is technically forbidden to
all Israeli citizens. Area B is under ‘joint’ Palestinian and Israeli
civil control and makes up 23-25% of the West Bank.
Lastly, Area C is under full Israeli civil and security control
and takes up 74% of the West Bank. Understandably, full
Israeli control of 74% of the West Bank creates a constant
friction in the region.
Control of the West Bank under Oslo Accords
Jenin
Nablus
Ramallah
Jericho
Jerusalem
Bethlehem
Hebron
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Isralei - declared municipal area to
Jerusalem
Area A - Palestinian control
Area B - Palestinian and Israeli control
Areac C - Israeli control
Control of the West Bank under Oslo Accords
12

Segregated Road System, Images by Visualizing Palestine,
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
13

Settlements in the West Bank enjoy a myriad of
privileges financed by the state of Israel, which often offers
discrete incentives for relocations to the area. Settlements
have subsidized housing, education, roads, water, electricity
and health care facilities and to ensure the safety of the
inhabitants and the success of the state’s investment.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Segregated Bus System, Images by Visualizing Palestine,
14

To keep Palestinians at comfortable distance from settlers,
the government has implemented a series of segregation
measures. Israeli settlements have a very distinct architectural
typology designed for three assets: greater tactical
strength, self-protection, and a wider view. Formed around
concentric circles, they are usually on higher ground as to,
“reinforce the strength already provided by nature.” 10 Their
urban layout follows topographical lines around the mountain
summits to maximize their view of the Palestinian villages
below.
Settlement, Image by Reuters
The homes of the outer ring have a clear view of the surrounding
landscape. The homes in the inner rings are then
positioned accordingly with gaps left between the homes
the homes in the outer one, by doing so mostly every home
is guaranteed an outward view. 10 This configuration imposes
on dwellers axial and lateral visibility oriented outwardly
and inwardly:
The inward oriented gaze protects the soft cores
of the settlements, and the outward oriented one surveys
the landscape around it. With respect to the interior of
each building, the guideline [Ministry of Construction and
10 Segal, Rafi, Eyal Weizman, and David Tartakover. A Civilian
Occupation: The Politics of Israeli Architecture. Tel Aviv: Babel,
2003.
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15

Housing’s 1984 unofficial guideline for the construction of
the settlements] recommends the orientation of the bedrooms
towards the distant view. Vision dictated the discipline
of design and its methodologies on all scales. 10
These design decisions are officially taken as security measures
to avoid, “terrorist elements operating in an area populated
only by an indifferent population or the one that
supports the enemy,’ therefore creating, “an area in which
there are persons who are likely to observe them and inform
the authorities about any suspicious movement,” 10
according to Israeli High Court Justice Alfred Vikton in
his verdict supporting the legality of settlements. Much like
Jeremy Bentham’s design for the panopticon to deter deviant
behavior in prisons, the settlement typology reinforces
the already toxic voyeuristic-surveillance of Israeli official
on Palestinian civilians. This network of settlements essentially
creates a network of panopticons that promote Israeli
power and superiority throughout the West Bank.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Settlement construction, while technically illegal,
happens throughout the West Bank. It happens with
little or no notice and often displaces inhabitants, commerce,
and cultural institutions. It could be argued that the
“D-9 armored Caterpillar bulldozer is the strategic weapon
here,” not machines guns or tanks. “‘With its steel armored
plates, bullet proof cabin windows, special blades for concrete
demolition and asphalt ripper in the rear’ the D-9
has been deliberately designed to plough through built up
Palestinian areas with impunity… urbicide by bulldozer.” 11
Settlement construction is influenced by several motives,
including incentives by powerful construction and infrastructure
lobbies, entities like Gush Emunim or the World
Zionist Organization, but most remarkably as a punitive
act of retaliation. Most recently this can be seen with the
Israeli motion to construct settlements in the West Bank
and East Jerusalem as a response to the kidnapping of three
Israeli youths early in the summer of 2014. Israeli economy
minister Naftali Bennett has publicly stated, “‘Israel has
always responded to the killing of Jews by building more
illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.’
Israeli media quoted Bennett as saying that Israel's "ultimate
goal" is clear, referring to the Zionist plan to seize all
of historic Palestine. Regarding the Israeli decision to confiscate
nearly 4,000 dunams of Palestinian land in the occupied
West Bank to build a new illegal settlement, he said,
“building is the Israeli response to ‘terrorism’”. This toxic
policy of building as retaliation, hiding behind an ultimate
strategy of complete displacement makes the climate in the
Occupied Territories an already tense and violent climate
even more tumultuous .
11 Graham, Stephen. Lessons in Urbicide. Constructing Urbicide
by Bulldozer in the Occupied Territories. Malden, MA: Blackwell,
2004.
16

HEBRON
The hilltop-valley typology of settlements emphasizes
the importance of elevation and topography in
disputed territories. This same strategy allows for a natural
barrier that makes a relatively instinctual separation of Israeli/Palestinian
areas. However, these didactic separations
are not as straight forward in the controversial city of Hebron.
Hebron is the only formally divided city in the West
Bank whose control is shared by Israel and the Palestinian
Authority. The apportionments of each party are extremely
complex - there is no wall between Israeli and Palestinian
Hebron forcing settlers and Palestinians into cohabitation
in certain parts of the city. Unlike other cities throughout
the Occupied Territories, there has never been a concession
over total control of Hebron due to its religious importance
to both nationalities. Hebron is the second most important
city in Judaism as it houses the burial sites of Abraham and
Sarah in the Tomb of Machpelah/ al- Ibrahimi Mosque. It
was established as the capital of ancient Eretz Ysrael by David
and Solomon during the First Temple period. Similarly,
Hebron is considered to be one of the Four Holy Cities of
Islam also due to it’s connection with Abraham, an equally
important figure in its history.
Hebron is home to 250,000 Palestinians and approximately
850 Jewish settlers. The city is divided into two
sectors; H1 under the Palestinian Authority and H2 under
Israeli jurisdiction. H2 is home to 35,000 Palestinians,
the 850 Jewish Settlers, and 1,500 stationed IDF soldiers.
Israeli citizens are forbidden from entering H1, however,
this rule is sometimes ignored and there have been several
reported incidents of settler violence and vandalism in H1.
Palestinian citizens living in H2 prior to the Redeployment
Protocol were permitted to stay in the area however their
movement within H2 is heavily restricted. There are streets
and zones that H2 Palestinians are strictly forbidden to circulate
on.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
17

Tomb of the Patriarchs
Settlement
H1
H2
H1-H2 Border
Palestinians forbidden (pedestrians, cars, shops)
Area with limited Palestinian travel
Checkpoints
H1 H2
H2 Movement Restriction Map
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Palestinians in H2 are allowed to go into H1 as many of
their livelihoods, schools, markets, and institutions are
based there. This means that for the Palestinian 35,000
residents of H2, crossing the 17 checkpoints that separate
H1 and H2 is a ceaseless occurrence, a bothersome part of
everyday life. H2 children are forced to cross checkpoints
to go to school, women are forced to cross checkpoints to
go to the market, men are forced to cross checkpoints to
get to work. These often humiliating border crossings, are a
constant reminder of the impotence that comes from being
Palestinian in the West Bank. While H2 Palestinian citizens
have a special permit that allows them to cross into H1, H1
citizens are forbidden from entering H2. Imagine you are
Palestinian and your home was in H2 pre-protocol but your
relatives’ homes were in H1. You would be allowed to visit
your relatives, yet they would never be able to visit you at
home. Your home is completely off limits to your relatives
because of where your homes happened to be pre-protocol.
H1 and H2 divisions are particularly intriguing
as segregation occurs at the street, city block and building
scale levels. The most drastic example of this can be seen in
the burial site of Abraham and Sarah known as both Tomb
of Machpelah or the al-Ibrahimi Mosque. The site was a
mosque until 1994, when Dr. Baruch Goldstein an American-Israeli
settler embarked on shooting rampage that
killed 29 and injured 125 Muslims. This frightening act
of terrorism propelled the Israeli government to divide the
18

building to prevent future incidents. Half the site would
remain a Palestinian mosque and the other half would be
converted into an Israeli Judaic temple. Palestinians are forbidden
from entering the Temple and Israelis are forbidden
from entering the mosque. The periphery of the building
has two military checkpoint to enforce this condition,
where you are force to show identification to either the IDF
or Palestinian Authority.
Muslim
Jewish
Tomb of the Patriarchs/ Al-Ibrahimi Mosque
Hebron is the only officially segregated city in the conflict
and its unique formal conditions reflect a hyper exaggerated
apartheid already visible throughout the Occupied
Territories. Unfortunately, this seems to be an interminable
condition. Hebron appears to be condemned to a fate
of seemingly interminable division and therefore tension.
Due to its religious, commercial, and historic importance
to Arab and Israeli nationalism, the only certainty in its
future is sustained contention. As Hebron is a microcosm
of the divisive spacial policies and witness to the urbicide
at various scales, it will be the site of this thesis investigation.
While the vehicle of the thesis will concentrate on
Hebron, its aim is redeployment throughout the Occupied
Territories
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
19

PROPOSAL
As has been discussed, the impacts of urbicide are
not only physical but psychological. This is true throughout
Hebron and the West Bank where their inhabitants are
forced to share their ‘nation’ with an ‘other’, who they believe
to have illegitimate claim to the land and territory.
Palestinians see the other as the perpetrator of a catastrophe
while Israelis see the other as an road block standing on
the way of their deserved, promised state. Meanwhile the
conflict has caused unquantifiable repercussions for both
nationalities and people beyond the Middle East that identify
as ‘Arab’ or ‘Jewish’. The destruction and loss from the
Arab-Israeli conflict has created a trauma in the zeitgeist
that is impossible to delineate. Perhaps the most eloquently
descriptive metaphor is rendered by Bogdan Bogdanovic,
Mayor of Belgrade when referring to the destruction of the
great Balkan cities caused by the regional conflict of the
early nineties:
What makes the situation even more monstrous
is that the cities involved are beautiful, magnificent cities:
Osijek, Vukovar, Zadar, with Mostar and Sarajevo… The
strike on Dubrovnik, was intentionally aimed at an object
of extraordinary, even symbolic beauty. It was the attack of
a madman who throws acid in a beautiful woman's face and
promises her a beautiful face in return. 12
Every act of urbicide during the Arab-Israeli conflict deforms
the existing face of the its cities, buildings, citizens
while inexcusably promising the beautiful face of a new
state.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Speculating upon the architectural proposal of
this thesis, its focus will be on embracing the sensibilities
of loss and memory brought upon by acts of urbicide. The
intervention will not aim to ameliorate or solve the conflict,
but to provide a respite from it. For the foreseeable
future, the destiny of Israel/Palestine will remain contended,
this fate being specially true for Hebron. The parti of
the architectural intervention will focus on creating nationless
spaces. ‘Engineered paradises’ on an urban scale
intervention, deployed around Hebron, to create areas of
catharsis and purgation from the tensions and formality of
life in the West Bank. The proposal seeks to create a third
nationalistic movement coming from the identity crisis of
both Palestinians and Israelis, that offers an alternative to
the nationalities they are forced to conform to. Seemingly
paradoxical, these engineered paradises will be ‘nationless’
yet creating a nationality that examines memory and loss,
allowing for a respite from the perniciousness of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict.
12 Rogel, Carole. The breakup of Yugoslavia and the war in
Bosnia. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998.
20

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies &Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
22

ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tessler, Mark A. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict. Bloomington: Indiana University
Press, 1994.
A detailed history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Tessler begins recounting the tale of both nationalities since
before their formal conception. Since the time of the Philistines
and ancient Eretz Ysrael, a detailed evolution of both people’s
identities is shown as a result of political, historical and territorial
forces. The book details the rise of modern Zionism and
Arab nationalism as reaction to European imperialism and
post World War I nationalism. Concluding with the current
conflict, the rise of Hamas and radical right-wing Zionism,
TesSsler’s accounts are factual and allow the reader to form his
own conclusions and postulations about the future and resolution
of the conflict.
Segal, Rafi, Eyal Weizman, and David Tartakover.
A Civilian Occupation: The Politics of Israeli
Architecture. Tel Aviv: Babel, 2003.
Originally banned texts and articles of the Israeli
submission for the 2002 World Congress of Architecture in Berlin.
This collection was controversial for expressing disapproval
of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Seen as anti-Israeli and
anti-Zionist, Rafi and Weizmann were extremely critical of the
deployment, configuration, and impacts of settlement architecture
claiming they were a tool to appease an Israeli middle
class discontent with the countries tense climate. The anthology
combines documentary clips, diagrams, and images that show
the exponential growth of the settlements and the complexity
they yield to a future two state solution.
Laqueur, Walter, and Barry M. Rubin. The Israel-Arab
Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle
East Conflict. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.
Anthology of official documents, letters, accords,
and postulations documenting the Arab-Israeli conflict. Beginning
with the end of the British Mandate, continuing on to
Israel’s independence after 1973, and concluding with the document
of the Camp David Accord and Madrid Conferences, it
is a detailed account of policy on both sides. The Reader is an
incredibly valuable collection of primary sources.
Gitai, Amos. “”L’architecture Et Ses Références Bibliques.
Le Tabernacle Et Le Temple” – Conversation
Amos Gitai Et Dov Elbaum.” Lecture, Architec
ture En Israël (1ère Séance),Cite De L’architec
ture & Du Patrimoine, Paris, March 03, 2014.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
23

Lecture series attended at the Cite de l’architecture
et du Patrimoine in Paris. Architect and film director Amos
Gitai presented his series of short films analyzing architecture
in Israel. Gitai talked about the European Bauhaus pedagogy
that influenced the newly designed cities of Israel Especially Tel
Aviv ‘the white city’. Other topics included the dimension of
memory in space, Especially in contested territories under violent
conditions where urbicide occurs frequently. The politics of
building and the responsibility of the architect when designing
in contested territories were also a common theme throughout
the series.
Abujidi, Nurhan. Urbicide in Palestine: spaces of oppres
sion and resilience. Vol. 63. Routledge, 2014.
Nurhan talks about the destruction of the Palestinian
cities since the occupation began in 1948. He gives eye
witness accounts of destruction, property loss, military abuses
and restrictions on growth, development, building and infrastructure
in the West Bank. Settlement abuses are also detailed
with pictures, interview and primary sources. The book aims to
give a factual view of what has occurred in these instances yet
Nurhan is sometimes biased by his Arabic origins. Overall, the
analysis is thorough and paints a clear picture of the occupied
West Bank.
“B’Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human
Rights in the Occupied Territories.” B’Tselem.
Accessed September 16, 2014. http://www.
btselem.org/.
B’Tselem is the official non profit organization is
Israel that studies the impacts of Israeli settlements in the West
Bank as well as civil rights violations. They have a through
archive of maps, interviews, studies detailing the quality of life
of the inhabitants of the region. Based out of Israel, B’Tselem
gives a well balanced, factual account of what is happening
in the settlements and how they have been evolving in recent
times. Their information is funded by non partisan international
organizations and a partnership with the United Nations.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
24

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies & Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
26

VICTOR RAMOS |
BYPASS URBANISM | RICE UNIVERSITY | 2008
Ramos proposes an urban scale intervention to mediate the
disjointed Palestinian enclaves of the West Bank. Currently
the area of "Palestine" is in a process of constant division
and separation under complete Israeli military occupation
and the expansion of Israeli settlements . Ramos' proposal
introduces elegant bridges programed with housing, retail,
and transportation infrastructure that 'bypass' the constrictive
conditions below to form a nation of 'network' enclaves
and connector bridges.
Palestinian Enclaves
Underground
Traffic
Housing
Greenway
Exterior Render by Viktor Ramos
Skin
Parti Diagrams
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
27

"By defining various control regimes, the [Oslo] Accords
have created a fragmented landscape of isolated Palestinian
enclaves and Israeli settlements. The intertwined nature of
these fragments makes it impossible to divide the two states
easily. By connecting the fragments through a series of under-
and overpasses, the border between the two states has
shifted vertically." - Viktor Ramos
Bypass Urbanism In Action,
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
28

Interior Renders by Viktor Ramos
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
29

MAUD SANCIAUME | THE CARAVAN | PLACE | AA DIPLOMA 5 | 2013
THE CARAVAN PLACE | AA DIPLOMA 5 | 2013
Sanciaume’s project takes place in a post-apocalyptic Mitrovica,
where
Sanciaume’s project
a series
takes
of infrastructural
place in a post-apocalyptic
elements inspired
Mitrovica,
by Kosovo’s
where
cultural
a series
background
of infrastructural
are used
elements
to bridge
inspired
the gap
by
between
Kosovo’s
Albanians
cultural
+
background
Serbians, paying
are used
homage
to bridge
to the
the
1999
gap
between
Kosovo War.
Albanians
The project
+ Serbians,
features
paying
whimsical
homage
programmatic
to the 1999
Kosovo
elements,
War.
such
The
as
project
a gypsy
features
palace, a
whimsical
distillery,
programmatic
and a bunker
elements,
bar that emphasize
such as a
and
gypsy
celebrate
palace,
cultural
a distillery,
similarities
and a bunker
while
bar
activating
that emphasize
derelict zones
and celebrate
in Mitrovica.
cultural
Sanciaume
similarities
calls
while
the
activating
program typologies
derelict zones
‘folies’;
in
whims,
Mitrovica.
craziness.
Sanciaume
It is indeed
calls the
in
program
the exaggeration
typologies
of
‘folies’;
these folies
whims,
and
craziness.
their programs
It is indeed
that the
in
the
humanity
exaggeration
of the different
of these folies
factions
and
is
their
brought
programs
to the
that
surface.
the
humanity
By integrating
of the
these
different
icons
factions
throughout
is brought
Mitovica
to the
the
surface.
scheme
By
pays
integrating
deference
these
to the
icons
war
throughout
but also ridicules
Mitovica
its
the
motives
scheme
illustrating
pays deference
that similarities
to the war
of
but
the
also
bon
ridicules
vivant Balkan
its motives
culture
illustrating
that similarities of the bon vivant Balkan culture
Section by Maud Sanciaume
Distillery Gypsy Palace Bunker Bar
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
30

Paths / Icons
Site Diagram by Maud Sanciaume
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
31

Bunker Bar Design by Maud Sanciaume
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
32

Bunker Bar Design by Maud Sanciaume
Distillery Design by Maud Sanciaume
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
33

Gypsy Palace Design by Maud Sanciaume
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
34

Distillery by Maud Sanciaume
Sanciaume’s diploma is extremely successful in ‘suspending
disbelief’ and transporting the viewer to a post apocalyptic
Mitrovica. While her program and proposal are somewhat
unconventional, their craft and representation legitimize
the project. The whimsical folies are contrasted by the
attention to tectonics that create an almost engineered
precision in the architectural interventions. The architectural
language and representation are almost mechanical,
bringing a sense of comfortable familiarity to the suspended
disbelief.
Pasarelle Vignette by Maud Sanciaume
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
35

JA KYUNG KIM | OI, YOUR SHADOW
IS OVER THE LINE | AA DIPLOMA 5 | 2013
Kim’s project occurs at the Demilitarized Zone between
North and South Korea. Through her programmatic interventions
Kim ridicules men’s ‘immature’ attitude over policy
and divisions. By redefining the boundaries of this controversial
area so extremely, Kim makes a case for feminist
agendas as advocates for humane political decisions. The
intervention is based around an inflatable beauty parlor/
salon, designed for Korean, from both sides of the divide,
to come together. While some might argue that a salon is
anti-feminist, femininity and feminism are not mutually
exclusive. The comradery found in a beauty parlor is an
adept backdrop for dialogue of unity, amelioration, and
trust reconstruction. The program also features a market
on both sides of the divide and ‘chariots’ that plow and
View to Salon Tower, Image by Ja Kyung Kim, Diagram by Author
Salon Tower
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Market South Korea
Market North Korea
36

View from Salon Tower by Ja Kyung Kim,
“Using the landscape, the tower and the market, which is a
hybrid program, a new form of Geo-politic is created from
the point of view of the Korean women.” - Ja Kying Kim
Markets, Image by Ja Kyung Kim, Lists by Author
South:
Exposition Fashion Cars
Industry Technology Parade
Celebration Sexualization Speed
Efficiency Productivity
North:
Tai Chi Traditional Dress
Wagons Agriculture Measured Orchestrated
Fearful Regal Decent Modest Communal
Folie
Western
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
37

Drawing Border:
Feminist Imagery
(Attention to drawing
borders, expands on
theme of borders and
feminism)
Chariot
Elevation, Plans
Chariot
Axonometric
Drawings
(Assembly)
Chariot Render/
Diagram
(Show critical
components)
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Chariot Design, Image by Ja Kyung Kim, Diagram by Author
38

Men in the Parlor,
Drinking Beer,
Getting their hair
permed.
Color Scheme:
Pastels Suggest Femininity.
Render Style:
Collage, Overlaying
Orthogonal Drawings
and Render.
Juxtaposition of
whim and tectonic.
Women shown in
more active role,
men are shown in
a passive (seemingly
feminine role).
Beauty Parlor, Image by Ja Kyung Kim, Diagram by Author
Conceptual Images by Ja Kyung Kim, Analysis by Author
Obedience
Militancy and
Passiveness
Architecture
v
War
Girl Power
Persistence
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
39

THE WAILING WALL |
MARC CHAGALL | TEL AVIV MUSEUM OF ART | 1932
Known as the ‘Quintessential Jewish Artist of the 20th
Century,’ Marc Chagall’s work is filled with avant garde
painting styles replete with Jewish themes. Embracing his
heritage, at a time when it was unacceptable to be Jewish
in the art world, Chagall expresses an uninhibited longing
for a national legitimacy for his people. ‘The Wailing Wall’
was painted in 1932, sixteen years before the creation of
the State of Israel during a trip to Palestine. Confronted
with kibbutzim and modernist Zionism, Chagall was filled
with pride and exuded this vibrancy in the works from his
travels. This specific painting is of utmost importance to
the development of my thesis, since it is one of the only
documents of the Western Wall Plaza before the creation
of Israel. Here we can see the beginning of the ancient Moroccan
Quarter which started only four meters away from
the Wall and was home to hundreds of families. During
the Israeli capture of Jerusalem June of 1967, the victory
was commemorated with the destruction of the Moroccan
Quarter as a gesture to Jews signaling their return to
Jerusalem; a terrible result born from a series of unfortunate
events concerning the legitimacy of both parties. I
came across this painting at the National Art Museum of
Tel Aviv, during the crisis of Operation Protective Edge.
Much like Chagall’s yearning for a nation and the unfortunate
consequences of it’s very creation, I was conflicted
with nostalgia and anger for the events surrounding my
stay in Israel and the Occupied Territories. The inspiration,
abstract, question, indeed everything regarding this thesis
starts and ends with this painting for me.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
40

The Wailing Wall by Marc Chagall
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
41

CARMEL | AMOS GITAI |
OPENING SCENE, STILLS | 2009
This is the opening scene of Amos Gitai's 'Carmel'. In it
Gitai’s wive Rivaka, reads a poem by his mother Etratia
about life and war in Israel. Gitai is thee son of prominent
Israeli Bauhaus architect Munio Weinraub who was instrumental
in the design of Tel Aviv, Yad Vashem, the Temple
at Haifa and approximately 8,000 buildings around Israel.
Like his father, Amos has a Ph.D. in architecture but never
practiced. His professional career has centered in film
becoming Israel's most influential director. Often dealing
with the question of Israeli nationalism and identity, architecture
is often a prominent motif in his work. Gitai
explores the relationships that people have with space, their
memories in it, and the elements that render it memorable
- an analysis that is extremely relevant to a discussion
about contested territories. These subjects are confronted
in Carmel through the use of Gitai’s family’s memorabilia
and documents, superimposed on historical reenactments.
This is a poem about people
what they think and what they want
and what they think they want
even though few things on earth
really deserve our interest.
It’s a poem about what men do
because what they do is more important
than what they haven’t done,
singing the song of the caravans
and the way they taste
sand in the scorched airplane
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
that crashes whistling
like a lament of mourning
And lastly, these poems are about war
Written on a desk
while it is raging
without mercy.
-Etratia Gitai, read by Rivka Gitai
42

43
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

ATMOSPHERES | PETER ZUMTHOR | 2003
The most inspiring document in my architectural career
has been the transcript of Peter Zumthor’s lecture Atmospheres
from 2003. Zumthor’s principles of anatomy and
tempo-rarity are extremely appropriate when describing the
role of emotions and memory in architecture. Descriptions
of the architect as master orchestrator of circulation seducing
the visitor with curiosities are powerful and evocative.
Personifications of a building as a human body that can
reach out and touch the visitor with skin, organs, bones
with temperature, respiration and life, expand on the tactile
and physical realities of architecture. By making these metaphors,
Zumthor argues for a fourth dimension in architecture
- magical realism. The succinct principles outlined in
Atmospheres are so simply logical yet so rarely used, that I
believe they should be required reading for every architect.
They are master architect’s guide to creating memorable atmospheres
in architecture.
Sample Pages from essay “Le Fauteuil”, an analysis of Perter
Zumthor’s Atmosphere, by Author, under the supervision of
Frédérique Peyrouzere
4 ARCHITeCTeS SeNSIbleS eT PeTeR ZUMTHOR le fauteuil
le fauteuil ARCHITeCTeS SeNSIbleS eT PeTeR ZUMTHOR
5
architecture sensible &
ZUMTHOR
Argument pour une architecture atmosphérique.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
ZUMTHOR
Par: Share Design
ATMOSPHèReS
Par Peter Zumthor
Il y a peu d’architectes, qui, de nos
jours, essayent de comprendre ces
sensibilités dans leur design process.
Dans l’ère des formes expressives,
design paramétrique, frank gehry
et le burj Khalifa ; l’architecte suisse,
Peter Zumthor est l’un des seuls promoteurs
des sensibilités atmosphériques.
Dans sa conférence Atmosphères en
2003 pour le festival de musique et
littérature de east Westphalia-lippe,
Zumthor commence son discours avec
ces quelques mots simples : << l’architecture
de qualité pour moi est quand
le bâtiment m’émeut. qu’est-ce qui dans
bURj KAlIfA
Wikimedia Commons
ce monde m’émeut? Comment puis-je
introduire cela dedans mon travail? >>
la suite du discours fut une tentative
de réponse, un résumé des principes
qu’il utilise pour essayer de réaliser des
espaces évocateurs.
Parmi toutes ses guides
Zumthor identifie deux
principes fondamentaux :
l’anatomie et la temporalité.
Plus que des principes, ces guides sont
des suggestions qui calibrent à nouveau
nos points de vues en interprétant le
rôle de l’architecture et l’architecte. en
44

le fauteuil ARCHITeCTURe COMMe UN CORPS
7
8
ARCHITeCTURe COMMe UN CORPS le fauteuil
ARCHITeC-
TURe COMMe
UN CORPS
[l’architecture.] le corps même! Un corps qui peut me
toucher.
CeS PeRCeMeNTS
SONT INvISIbleS
De l’exTÉRIeUR
HAPPÉS PAR l’eNvelOPPe
DU bâTI-
MeNT.
Dans le cas du Musée juif,
libeskind montre une compréhension
totale du secret.
qu’il transmet au visiteur.
Dans l’axe central du bâtiment il y a
six percements qui créent des vides
qui s’étendent du sous-sol au troisième
étage. Ces percements sont invisibles
de l’extérieur happés par l’enveloppe du
bâtiment. Cependant, à l’intérieur les
vides créent une rupture sévère dans la
circulation soulignent la absence juif en
Allemagne.
les vides ne sont pas climatisés
et avec leur matérialité en
béton bruit ils marquent les
esprits. Sensation déroutant
et nostalgique. le sol est couvert par
l’installation Shalekehet, des feuilles qui
tombent, de l’artiste Israélien Menashe
Kadishman. le visiteur est forcé de se
confronter au massacre des juifs en
europe. Dans le plafond on trouve des
lucarnes qui éclairent légèrement les
vides pour évoquer en un sens l’espoir
inaccessible. Métaphore puissante par
l’espace, la seule lumière qui allume cet
espace étant quatre étages au-dessus.
les percements forment un
impressionnant.
orchestre de lumière, température
et matériels pour produire
cet ensemble introspectif et
en parlant de l’anatomie d’un
bâtiment Zumthor utilise une
métaphore anthropomorphe
pendant son discours, <<Ici
on est assis dans cette grange, il y a des
SHAleKeHeT
Par Menashe Kadishman,
Musée
juif à berlin
rangées de poutrelles, et après elles sont
couvertes etc, etc. Ce type de chose a un
effet sensuel pour moi. et j’appelle ça le
premier et le meilleur secret de l’architecture…
Pour moi c’est comme un type
d’anatomie. en fait, c’est le vrai sens
de la mot <corps>, c’est littéralement
comme notre propre corps avec ces
anatomies et choses qu’on peut pas voir
et la peau qui nous couvre… [l’architecture.]
le corps même! Un corps qui peut
me toucher.>>
CORPS HUMAINe
equisses par
leonardo da vinci
Sample Pages from essay “Le Fauteuil”, an analysis of Perter
Zumthor’s Atmosphere, by Author, under the supervision of
Frédérique Peyrouzere
le fauteuil lA CAlMe eT lA SÉDUCTION
9
le fauteuil lA CAlMe eT lA SÉDUCTION
13
l’ARCHI
De qUAlITÉ
ATMOSPHèRe 3
Par Cynthia Woehrle
HOTel THeRMe vAlS
Par Peter Zumthor
le calme & la
SÉDUCTION
Il y a aussi l’art plus gentil de la séduction, de permettre
les gens à se laisser, se balader...
C’est en réitérant l’introduction
d’Atmosphères,
l’architecture de qualité,
remarquable et impressionnante
que l’on arrive
à émouvoir.
les descriptions des espaces
émotifs de Zumthor étaient
plutôt sensuelles et calmes.
le Musée juif à berlin de
libeskind propose l’antithèse de ces
émotions en évoquant la perte de
foi, la solitude, l’exile, l’incertitude…
Cependant les deux sensations sont
égales et importantes, elles marqueront
le visiteur, lui gravant des souvenirs
inoubliables. les sentiments à évoquer
sont infinis : la nostalgie de l’enfance
à cause de la texture d’un fauteuil, la
remarque de l’absence d’un avec des
vides impressionnants dans un bâtiment
labyrinthique... la morale de cette
approche du design architectural est de
ne pas sous-estimer la dimension sentimentale
de cet art. l’architecture est
un art temporel, l’architecte a un temps
limité pour laisser une empreinte. la
manière la plus durable d’y arriver est
de toucher les sentiments, le sensible du
visiteur. C’est en réitérant l’introduction
d’Atmosphères, l’architecture de qualité,
remarquable et impressionnante que
l’on arrive à émouvoir.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
45

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies & Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
46

REST
The man was tired. Seventy years had chalked
lines into his sagging face, giving it the semblance of the
many drawn and redrawn political maps of Hebron. All
the divisions of walls, prohibited roads, barriers, and checkpoints
across the city seemed to be etched into his creased
skin. This day was still the same as the last. Politicians had
come and gone, political and public safety announcements
cycled through different forums, manifestations of violence
had advanced with more effective weaponry, but that constant,
known feeling of thick helplessness hung in Hebron’s
air. The familiar weight bore down on him again this morning.
She woke up tired again this morning. Her
lips cracked and dry, she reached for her water glass. The
half-empty cup hardly satisfied her morning thirst. The
consistent ritual of morning rinse and purge by water gave
her little respite from the insatiable thirst. She filled her
cup in the kitchen sink and drank deeply through choked
breaths. Hebron’s water spilled down her throat, but the
familiar, tired thirst remained.
The man stopped for tea from the vendor at the
corner. His heart sped and his eyes fluttered open, but his
body still shrugged along the cobblestone teeming with
empty, resound exhaustion. He walked towards the fence
that had divided his experience across years of fitful sleep
and groggy mornings.
She bought a juice from the baker’s daughter.
Her hand trembled as she grasped her curled wooden can
and slowly shuffled across the sidewalk towards the fence.
A droplet of nectar dripped from her folded chin as she deliberately
sucked it down. This was temporal satisfaction, a
familiar feeling she knew would soon wax as the aged thirst
crept back inside.
The man and the woman simultaneously reached
the Center, a rounded building with soft glazed edges that
wrapped around its unusual shape. They arrived through
their respective walkway entrances at the same time. They
saw each other from across the open space. She had entered
from the east side, he the west. Their glazed eyes stared onto
one another, and though they both knew they had never
previously met, a flicker of recognizance fluttered across the
room. The presence of the other was like the reflection of a
familiar mirror, the accumulated weight of tired mornings
and unquenched thirst for a different start, staring back
across the naturally lit space. The softly cushioned recliners
spread themselves out like a constellation around a magnificent
fountain in the middle of the space. They measuredly
walked towards the center and each other. He carefully lowered
himself into the chair while she cupped her hands into
the clear water. She drank while he patiently watched. She
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
47

walked around the fountain and sat into the deep cushions
in a chair near him. She nodded and he smiled, before they
both closed their eyes in empathetic rest.
CATHARSIS
He’s always sad. Sometimes when he looks at
me, I feel like he doesn’t see me. He sees Her, and then
a pained look takes over, forcing him to look away. I feel
like they’re always looking at me; Baba, Jidda, and even
Muhammad... As if staring at me would bring Her back.
When I was smaller Muhammad would be the
one to take care of me. Jidda used to help out a lot, but
Muhammad says she’s too old now and I should leave her
alone, that if I want something, or can’t reach something,
I should call for him. Muhammad is the best, he’s the one
that plays with me the most. He even braids my hair,
even though I know it makes him sad. One day I heard
him whimper as he was brushing through the mess of
curls and knots. Through his reflection in the mirror, I
could see my brave older brother biting his lip to avoid
the tears from falling down his face. I think my hair reminds
him of Hers. I can’ be sure from the pictures I’ve
seen of Her, the scarf is always covering it, but Jidda tells
me that my hair is the same unusual color as hers. It’s the
color of a ripe fig and when I’m playing in the sun you
can see my dark hair lit up with different shades of violet.
Muhammad is in school and Jidda is in the
kitchen. I have to hide from Jidda’s sight so she doesn’t
make me peel string beans for the couscous. I decide to
go to the back yard and hide in the leaves of the olive
trees. I use the knots to climb up and pull myself up from
a branch. I’ve done this lots of times, it doesn’t scare me
anymore. When I find the best branch to sit on, I notice
that the olives are ripe. There is a really pretty purple one
that is just out of my reach. I stand on the branch and
stretch out my right arm to get it. But as I pull the olive,
the branch falls back, and the olives from the branches
above start to fall on my head. I let go of the tree to swat
the olives off my face but I lose my balance and begin to
fall.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
I hear a scream. It’s Baba and then all of a sudden
I make a loud thump. I fall on my knee and then
on my elbow as I try to brace the fall. Before I know it
Baba is over me with a horrified look taking inventory of
the scrapes and cuts. This is the closest he’s ever been to
me. I had never realized his eyes were so green. He’s asking
me questions, but I’m mesmerized by his face. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen it so close before. As soon as I tell him
I’m fine and he immediately changes his expression. He
scolds me for climbing the olive trees. I can’t hide in their
leaves anymore. Baba slowly begins to walk away after his
rant. He looks back only once to make sure I’ve gotten up
and goes back into the house hiding his face.
48

My body aches and I just want to cry. Baba tells
Muhammad all the time that brave men don’t cry. I want
to be brave, but I feel so sad. I start to run, I can run really
fast. I beat all the boys from my street in a race a couple
of weeks ago. They were mad. I run to the bottom of
the hill, and take the road that leads to the Babel-Zawiye
market. I run past all the vegetables and the fruit stands
and make my way to the square. I’m running around the
square looking for the entrance. I can’t remember where
It is, I’ve only been There once before. All of a sudden
a soldier appears, he says something I don’t understand.
Since I haven’t been to school yet, I haven’t been taught
Their language. But seeing one of Them always makes me
a little afraid and stand up straight.
All of a sudden the soldier turns pale. It is as if
he had seen a ghost, like in the American cartoon shows
Muhammad plays on the computer. He grabs my arm
and starts to shake it asking questions I don’t understand.
I look straight into his blue eyes and he is startled. He
finally tires of repeating whatever it is he was saying and
with an almost sad look turns around and walks away. I’m
confused, but at least he’s left, and now I think I know
where the entrance is.
It’s at the northern end of the square by Zaid’s
house. I run towards the hidden entrance. My knees still
hurt but I tell myself I just have to be brave for a little
bit longer. I walk down the dimly lit stone staircase for a
while and when I finally get to the landing I see the big
doors. They open before me as if they had been expecting
me. I am in awe. I can see the beauty of the caves beyond
me. They are so big, and I am so small.
Hearing the water running through the floor
beneath me, I already feel comforted. There’s no need to
run anymore. I am where I need to be. There are others
but it doesn’t matter. No one talks to here. There are no
soldiers, no sad Babas, no crying Muhammads. There is
just Saba. I walk over to one of the sitting spaces where
the floor turns into the cave wall, I climb up until I can
see the water flowing beneath floor of the cave. I can hear
measured footsteps and the little splashes the water makes
when it hits the stone. I don’t have to be brave anymore.
Here, I can cry. I cry, because I wish my Ummi was alive.
PURGATION
I though I was starting to forget. That I was
starting to be ‘all right.’ Whatever that means. I had started
to forget the woman’s face. Or that’s what I would
tell myself, to keep the memories and the nightmares at
bay. The unit’s psychologist, a pretty blonde named Tal
had diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder and
had prescribed therapy sessions at least once a week. As if
leaving the unit for a couple of hours every week to talk
about my ‘feelings’ would go over well with the others. Of
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
49

course not. So I deal with my demons, in the best way I
can and pretend I’m fine. Or I could, until I saw that little
girl in the market this morning.
I was doing my rounds around downtown H1
patrolling through the market when a little girl bumped
into me. She looked frazzled and lost so I bent down to
talk to her. But when I saw her face I immediately recognized
the woman’s. She had her same piercing dark eyes,
freckles, and that strange fig colored hair. That terrible
violet hue that haunts my nightmares at night. Could it
be? Were they able to save the child? After the raid, I had
asked anyone that could know the answer to my questions.
They all said the same thing. The woman had died,
but there was no news of the child she was carrying. I
assumed it had passed as well.
I was only eighteen when it happened. I was artillery
support for various helicopter missions during the
2009 intifada. Our unit was stationed in Hebron, where
our mission was to locate and exterminate crucial Hamas
leaders that were thought to be hiding in civilian homes,
schools, and mosques throughout the city. During the
briefing we were told that it the intel was excellent and
the mission would be relatively straightforward. It was
believed that a senior Hamas militant, Ahmad Qassem
Al-Abadla, had been hiding in a civilian home in downtown
Hebron. Qassem had been the mastermind behind
the suicide bus bombings in Tel-Aviv, and this was the
first reported sighting the IDF had of him in months. We
were briefed one last time at 04:00 hours and set off in
to the darkness, the mission had to be completed before
sundown and the first call to prayer.
We found the home easily and began easing
into a position that would minimize the blast radius. In
that final moment. A young woman came out onto the
roof. She was getting water from the tanks on the roof. I
looked back at my commander, and told him there was a
civilian. He said that the value of our target outweighed
civilian casualties and we were to go forth. I tried to aim
as far away from the woman as I could while still targeting
the residence and then pulled the trigger.
I hadn’t noticed the woman was pregnant until
she fell back and I saw the outline of her dress drape over
her round belly.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
I will never forget her. The way her curls framed
her face as she lay on the ground. Her despair. The way she
grabbed her belly as the helicopter flew away. I had never
seen something so horrific. She haunts me everyday. But
hopefully my torment will be lessened today.
Today is the day I atone for this grave mistake.
After months of research I have finally been able to locate
her husband and after weeks of hesitation and deliberating,
I decided to contact him. To my surprise he answered and
conceded to meet me. Our meeting at the encounter center
50

is in twenty minutes and I’m riddled with nausea and anxiety.
I arrive early. As I go up to the appointment counter to
receive my room assignment, I barely notice the impressive
volumes above me. I try to distract myself from my own
meeting by imagining what encounters the moving shadows
are having. Are they pleasant? Are they productive?
Upon entering the assigned elevator, number 4,
I start to panic. What could I possibly say to this man? I
reach level 2 within seconds, step onto the landing of pod
6 to a great surprise. There pod is occupied. I can see a silhouette
thought the translucent concrete. It seems I won’t
have the time to gather my thoughts, I had sought. I take a
deep breath, say a quick prayer, and open the door.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
51

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies & Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
52

"G
Ju
SITE SELECTION
The thesis was inspired by the unique conditions of the
site, its geography, politics, topography and lines of demarcation.
The city of Hebron in the West Bank/Israel,
has been divided formally into two jurisdictions as has
been previously mentioned. H1 (or Hebron 1) is under
Palestinian Authority jurisdiction, while H2 (Hebron 2)
is under Israeli Government control.
"Glass"
Junction
Mediterranean
Sea
H1
West
Bank
H2
Former Israeli
Military HQ now
Palestine
Govt. House
Israeli
1948 Border
Police HQ
Land Ownership
Distribution
1967
Land Ownership
Distribution
Hebron
Dead
Sea
Hebron City Limits
Egypt
Israel
Joint Patrol
Israel/ West Bank
1948
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
1,070,000
720,000
1967
Population
P A L E S T I N I A N
J E W I S H
1,280,00
2,380,00
H E B R O N : Arabic Al-Khalīl al-Rahmān
(“The Beloved of [God] the Merciful” [a reference to Abraham]),
Hebrew, Hevron.
L O C A T I O N : 31°32’00 N 35°05’42 E,
West Bank, southern Judean Hills, southwest of Jerusalem.
A L T I T U D E : 3,050 ft, 930 m above sea level
A R E A: 74.102 km2 or 28.611 sq mi
T O P O G R A P H Y : Mountainous encourages cultivation
of fruit trees and vineyards.
1922
Land Ownership
Distribution
H1
H2
H1 / H2 Separation and Border
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
2008
Land Ownership
Distribution
Former Israeli
Military HQ now
Palestine
Govt. House
53

"Glass"
Junction
Joint Patrol
Former Israeli
Military HQ now
Palestine
Govt. House
Israeli
Border
Police HQ
1 H2
Joint Patrol Roads v
PA Patrol Roads
Settlements
"Glass"
Junction
1 H2
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Former Israeli
Military HQ now
Palestine
Govt. House
Israeli
Border
Police HQ
Key Sites
54

The Old City of Hebron (shown bellow), is the center of
commerce and culture of the city yet it is mostly located in
H2. Even though this area is under full Israeli control; it is
home to 35,000 Palestinians 500 Settlers, and 1,500 IDF
soldiers. Despite the military presence and restrictions on
movement imposed upon them in H2, Palestinians continue
to live and work in the Old City. There are 17 checkpoints
in H2 passing through them is unavoidable for its
Palestinian residents who are subject to routine searches
and questioning. As the tensions in Hebron occur mostly
within the radius of the Old City, its boundaries will form
the urban perimeter of the site. Therefore, the deployment
of the engineered paradises will be concentrated in the Old
City.
H1-H2 Border
Tomb of the Patriarchs
Settlement
Old City of Hebron
H1
H2
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
55

Tomb of the Patriarchs
Settlement
H1
H2
H1
H2
H1-H2 Border
Palestinians forbidden (pedestrians, cars, shops)
Area with limited Palestinian travel
Checkpoints
H1 H2
H2 Movement Restrictions on Palestinian Citizens (Above), Restrictions by User Group (Below)
H1 H2 H2
H1
H2
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
H1-H2 Border
Forbidden Entry
IDF, Israeli, Palestinian
H1
H2
56

OBSERVATIONS: H1
Typical Palestinian H1 Street
H1 Home
H1 Market
H1 Occupation Propaganda
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
57

OBSERVATIONS: H1
H1 Home Destroyed by IDF Raid
H1 Spice Merchant
Downtown H!
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
58

OBSERVATIONS: H2
H2 Settlement, Abraham Avinu Quarter
H2 Settlement
H2 Visitor’s Center
H2 Religious School Beit Romano
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
59

OBSERVATIONS: H2
H2 Visitor’s Plaza
H2 Visitor’s Plaza
H2 Abraham Avinu Synagogue
H2 Street
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
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OBSERVATIONS: TOMB OF MACHPELAH | AL-IBRA-
Tomb of Machpelah / Al-Ibrahimi Mosque
Tomb of Machpelah
Al-Ibrahimi Mosque
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
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OBSERVATIONS: APARTHEID INFRASTRUCTURE
Circulation Restriction Signage
Restriction Signage and Checkpoint
Typical Checkpoint
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
62

Interior of Checkpoint
Watchtower
IDF Base
Division Fencing, Cameras, Intercoms
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
63

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies &Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
64

DESIGN PROPOSAL
The design of the architectural and urban thesis
vehicle thus far allow for predictions, inferences and hypothesis
of the final proposal and documentation. At this
point some important decisions have been made in regards
to scope, program and representation. This progress report/
addendum will give insight into the current state of the
thesis.
Currently the scope of the urban scale intervention
has been narrowed down to downtown Hebron 2. This
decision was made after a careful study aimed to represent
the spacial impact of urbicide in the city. In order to accomplish
this, a form of diagramming was developed to
translate these complex concepts into a didactic graphic
representation. By assigning the following parameters to
the definition of urbicide:
1. Spatial Disintegration
2. Sites of Violence
3. Architecture of Surveillance
4. Sites of Occupation
and then mapping their location through a method of varying
density dimension lengths, a language equating density
to tension was formed. Since the areas of tension were
most prevalent in the Old City of Hebron in H2, the site
will concentrate in the same area.
From the points of most tension, nine adjacent
vacant lots were selected to house the ‘engineered paradises.’
These nine sites will house the programs proposed previously;
the spaces of catharsis, encounter, and rest. (Please
note: the space of purgation was changed to the space of
encounter since the last draft of this document was submitted,
a narrative depicting the space of encounter is yet to
be written.) To provide equal access to both the Palestinian
and Israeli user groups, the ‘engineered paradises’ will be
connected by an elevated walkway that overlooks the sites
of urbicide previously identified. By removing itself from
the ground conditions and allowing uninterrupted access
to the architectural interventions the walkway becomes not
only an important infrastructural element for the city but
also a monument. Throughout the path of the walkway
there will be key moments of détente that allow for observation
and introspection.
The combination of the elevated walkway and
the engineered paradises results in the spatial manifestation
of a new nation. An alternative choice that creates a separate
reality from the chaotic conditions of Hebron’s existing
conditions, to spaces that allow for safe dignified release ,
rest and encounter.
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

MEASURING URBICIDE
Sites of Occupation
Architecture of Surveillance
Sites of Violence
Spatial Disintegration
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Parameters
66

GROUND CONDITIONS
H1 + Palestinian H1 + Points of Interest of Interest
H2 + Israeli Points of Interest
H2 + Israeli Points of Interest
Combined Walkway / Points Points of Interest All of User Interest Groups
WALKWAY CONNECTIVITY CITY SCALE
Points of Interest
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
67

GROUND CONDITIONS
Palestinian User Group
H1 + Palestinian Points of Interest
Israeli Israeli User Group
H2 + Israeli Points of Interest
Military Military User Group
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
City Condition
USER GROUP / CIRCULATION LIMITATIONS
User Group / Circulation Limitations
Walkway / Points of Interest All User Groups
WALKWAY CONNECTIVITY CIT
68

GROUND CONDITIONS
All User Groups
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
69

GROUND CONDITIONS: SPATIAL DISINTEGRATION
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Ground Conditions Inspiring the Walkway: Spatial Disintegration
70

PROPOSAL: THE WALKWAY
Al-Shahoda St, Walkway Rendering
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
71

PROPOSAL: ENGINEERED PARADISES, THE NATION,
(WALKWAY + ARCHITECTURE)
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
72

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E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

ENGINEERED PARADISES: CATHARSIS
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Parti Collage
74

THE
WATCHTOWER
מִ‏ צפֶ‏ ה برج املراقبة
CONTROL
IMPOSITION
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
75

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Plan
76

Section
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
77

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Catharsis Chamber
78

Model Image
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
79

ENGINEERED PARADISES: ENCOUNTER
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Parti Collage
80

THE
CHECKPOINT
מחסום
نقطة تفتيش
RESTRICTION
DETENTE
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
81

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Plan
82

Section
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
83

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Encounter Pods
84

Model Image
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
85

ENGINEERED PARADISES: REST
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Parti Collage
86

THE
OBSERVATION
POINT
מחסום
الرصد
PANORAMIC
SURVEILLANCE
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
87

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Plan
88

Section
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
89

E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
Ramp Sequence
90

Model Image
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
91

EXHIBITION: OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART
MAY 8-18 2015
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
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E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S

I. Statement & Abstract
II. Essay
III. Annotated Bibliography
IV. Case Studies &Analysis
V. Program
VI. Site Selection, Research & Analysis
VII. Design
E N G I N E E R E D P A R A D I S E S
http://www.zarithpineda.com/#!engineered-paradises/cetn
All images or diagrams not sourced were taken or created by the Author.
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