These Israeli architects spent their careers convincing Israelis to bury their dead loved ones in buildings. The country called them crazy at first, but now they’re responsible for designing a multilevel, condensed cemetery structure for every major Israeli city. Their latest wild idea? Internationally built islands off the coast of Gaza.
The Tuvia Saviv and Uri Ponger architectural firm has a crazy idea: Turn Gaza into a thriving economic hub and tourist destination of the Arab world – by building artificial islands off its coast, sort of like the man-made Palm Islands off of Dubai.
The proposal is fleshed out in a series of drawings, plans and calculations – it looks a bit unrealistic. Some might even say frivolous. But these architects have experience in turning ideas that many people call crazy, into reality. In the 1980s, Israel was facing land scarcity to build its dead – that is, land for traditional cemeteries, where people are buried into the ground. Sagiv and Ponger dreamt of designing multi-level, condensed cemetery structures that would be unique to Jewish law.
Sagiv: Don’t waste money and land for cemeteries. Were a small country. We have decided to live one above the other. We have multi-level apartments. So why not to be buried one above the other?
Government officials, rabbis and the media immediately wrote him off.
Sagiv: At first some rabbis say don’t talk with us about this. But we showed them the halacha books, and it’s written that we can do it it’s possible its no problem. It took about 8 years to persuade them to give us a letter that Tuvia, you are allowed to create multilevel burials.
30 years later, Sagiv and Ponger are responsible for designing cemeteries that serve each of Israel’s major cities. They almost look like parking structures from the highway, and feel kind of like parks when you’re in them.
In Jewish law, a dead person must be buried in the ground, so Sagiv lined the floors and filled the structure’s columns with dirt. He’s always asking people if they feel comfortable that their loved ones are buried in a building – he says that slowly, more people are finding that it’s the best and most Jewish way to go, once you go.
Sagiv: 8 years ago it sounded very awful, sounds impossible. Now, there is no problem. It’s a psychological problem. This is the main problem, to persuade people.
Now, he wants to build a restaurant in his cemetery outside Tel Aviv with a view overlooking the graves. Both that plan and this Gaza idea will likely take some convincing.
Sagiv and his late partner are no politicians or policy experts. They design structures to try and make life easier. Which is why when they read about Gazans suffering in the news, Sagiv says, they felt compelled to find an architectural solution.
Sagiv: Gaza is in a tough situation and hamas is not our cup of tea, but this is your neighbor and we have to help to solve the problem. Now i have a feeling that a new wind, atmosphere that maybe we can talk about it.
Gazans suffer daily from extreme resource scarcities and labor shortages. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Gaza may become uninhabitable by 2020. To avoid this fate, a handful of senior IDF officers have already supported an artificial island plan. Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz argues it would lift Israel’s blockade of Gaza, stave off humanitarian disaster, and preserve Israel’s security. Sagiv is not so sure.
Let us create an economic peace. But i think for us to create basic things like a port, like a gas station and so on, electricity. This is not a good solution. I want that people will come here. People will come to the island nearby gaza and the moment this will be developed it will influence gaza itself. It will be an international project. I prefer that israeli engineers will not be involved in it in all.
To get a better understanding of his idea, here’s what he’s thinking:
About 2 km from the beach, we will create 50 small islands 50 dunams each and they will be connected w bridges and a road connecting them together and the road itself is connected to the beach. On each island there will be hotels, buildings, apartments, commercial area and so it will be a whole city in the same dimension of city as gaza. And then there will be a movement to renewal gaza, rebuild it.
I chatted with political scientist Mkhaimar Abusada at Al-Azhar University in Gaza – he thinks there’s something to it.
Abusada: Take in consideration the challenges Palestinians have faced over the past 70 years since 1948. We do need some creative ideas, some ideas that are revolutionary in essence because the space in gaza is very limited.
He found Sagiv’s idea particularly ept to address Gaza’s population density and lack of living space. Gaza’s population today nears 2 million with a population density of 13,000 people per square mile, one of the world’s highest.
And population predictions is that it would reach 4 million. It will be attractive to the Palestinians but at the end of the day it would have to be involved with Palestinian opinions. Personally speaking I think this is a very attractive project which would deal with the density of population and limited space in Gaza.
But Dr. Kobi Michael of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies takes a more skeptical approach.
Michael: Look, we have to remember who controls gaza and what is the agenda of the controller of Gaza. I think it is a sort of illusionary idea as long as the current situation continues. It might be a relevant idea if there is a final status agreement and the PA comes back to rule the gaza strip. I think that it is a nice idea for peace time not for the current time.
Sagiv admits he and his late partner Posner are big dreamers, but their track record is a reminder that so many of the physical, certain realities in our world once began as crazy ideas. So isn’t this one worth entertaining?
Gaza is in a wonderful location. One side egypt, close to europe, 10 months of sunny area, and the beach? A wonderful beach. It’s a place in between egypt israel, the pyramids and the al aqsa so it can be a center for the arab world and european world and it can cause also good solution in the relationship between the Jewish state and the palestinians. My dream is in the end it will be Singapore of the middle east and it will be wonderful.
These Israeli architects spent their careers convincing Israelis to bury their dead loved ones in buildings. The country called them crazy at first, but now they’re responsible for designing a multilevel, condensed cemetery structure for every major Israeli city. Their latest wild idea? Internationally built islands off the coast of Gaza.
Music:
Homeshake – Moon Woman
Produced and reported by @AriPlachta
The Tuvia Saviv and Uri Ponger architectural firm has a crazy idea: Turn Gaza into a thriving economic hub and tourist destination of the Arab world – by building artificial islands off its coast, sort of like the man-made Palm Islands off of Dubai.
The proposal is fleshed out in a series of drawings, plans and calculations – it looks a bit unrealistic. Some might even say frivolous. But these architects have experience in turning ideas that many people call crazy, into reality.
In the 1980s, Israel was facing land scarcity to build its dead – that is, land for traditional cemeteries, where people are buried into the ground. Sagiv and Ponger dreamt of designing multi-level, condensed cemetery structures that would be unique to Jewish law.
Government officials, rabbis and the media immediately wrote him off.
30 years later, Sagiv and Ponger are responsible for designing cemeteries that serve each of Israel’s major cities. They almost look like parking structures from the highway, and feel kind of like parks when you’re in them.
In Jewish law, a dead person must be buried in the ground, so Sagiv lined the floors and filled the structure’s columns with dirt. He’s always asking people if they feel comfortable that their loved ones are buried in a building – he says that slowly, more people are finding that it’s the best and most Jewish way to go, once you go.
Now, he wants to build a restaurant in his cemetery outside Tel Aviv with a view overlooking the graves. Both that plan and this Gaza idea will likely take some convincing.
Sagiv and his late partner are no politicians or policy experts. They design structures to try and make life easier. Which is why when they read about Gazans suffering in the news, Sagiv says, they felt compelled to find an architectural solution.
Gazans suffer daily from extreme resource scarcities and labor shortages. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Gaza may become uninhabitable by 2020. To avoid this fate, a handful of senior IDF officers have already supported an artificial island plan. Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz argues it would lift Israel’s blockade of Gaza, stave off humanitarian disaster, and preserve Israel’s security. Sagiv is not so sure.
To get a better understanding of his idea, here’s what he’s thinking:
I chatted with political scientist Mkhaimar Abusada at Al-Azhar University in Gaza – he thinks there’s something to it.
He found Sagiv’s idea particularly ept to address Gaza’s population density and lack of living space. Gaza’s population today nears 2 million with a population density of 13,000 people per square mile, one of the world’s highest.
But Dr. Kobi Michael of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies takes a more skeptical approach.
Sagiv admits he and his late partner Posner are big dreamers, but their track record is a reminder that so many of the physical, certain realities in our world once began as crazy ideas. So isn’t this one worth entertaining?