| Modi'in |
| Shade Planning in the Ancient Synagogue |
| Implemented by: |
Arch. Yaara Shaltiel
Arch. Michal Ratner
Arch. Raz Efron
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The remains of the village of Umm el-‘Umdan and the synagogue are a rare testimony to historical and cultural processes that have left a significant imprint on the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. The planners and conservators faced a real challenge: how to express the importance of the place and encourage the public to come there, to use it, to be exposed to the knowledge about it and about those processes despite the fact there is no monumental construction or cultural landscape in it that creates an immediate impression.
The remains of the synagogue are especially important being that it is one of a small number of ancient synagogues to be uncovered in Israel that is attributed to the period when the Second Temple was still standing and operating in Jerusalem. These synagogues served as a gathering place where the community could assemble for religious and secular purposes alike, and they are the first evidence of the cultural process the Jewish people underwent in the transition of the place of the worship in the Temple to the time after the destruction, when practically all religious activity was transferred to the synagogues. Hence both the ‘spirit of the place’ and the cultural importance of the place stem from the activity that occurs in it and not just from the physical finds that remain in it.
For these reasons it was decided to develop the ancient synagogue as the climax of the visit to the site and as a focal point where the residents of Modi‘in, the primary community to use the site, could assemble, sit and hold cultural and social activities. In order to develop the synagogue as such a center and allow visitors to stay there we were required to provide protection from the burning Israeli sun.
At the beginning of the conservation process a proposal was put forth demanding the complete restoration of the synagogue. This demand was rejected by the Israel Antiquities Authority because the state of the remains and the research could not provide the necessary information in order to allow a reconstruction that would be in accordance with the ethics of conservation. For this reason it was decided to erect a modern and distinct covering, as a utilitarian solution for shading and nothing more. This solution does not purport to illustrate or interpret the site.
In the design process we set ourselves a goal that the new addition to the site would be fashioned in a contemporary manner that would distinguish it from the antiquities, that it would be humble and not overshadow the remains or dwarf them. Nevertheless, we sought to strengthen the presence of the site and highlight its presence in the landscape in a manner that would be visible to those riding on the approach road to the city which passes nearby.
The images we chose as an inspiration for the design of the covering are the wedding canopy (chuppah) and the booth (sukkah). Both symbolize in Jewish tradition, as well as in architecture, transience, ephemerality, reversibility and simplicity (minimalism).
A considerable amount of planning and engineering was done in order to reduce the support required for carrying the steel roof (8 × 10 m) to four thin columns set in the core of the ancient wall and make broad swathes of landscape visible to those sitting in its shade.
Another challenge was dealing with the need to create sufficient shade for those gathering at the site and to avoid building a sealed and massive structure. The covering was designed as a number of branches that were laid casually on the beams, in an apparently random manner, one on top of the other so as to cast shade while allowing a view of the sky from the building. This “placing” of branches on top of each other in layers creates an appearance of changing light and shade at any given moment in the day. Thus, by simple means, we were able to enrich the experience of visiting the place and add a contemporary element to the site that does not demean the remains and once again allows the residents of Modi‘in and its visitors to gather there, to sit on the peripheral bench in the ancient synagogue and look inside, as well as outside.
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May 2015
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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