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The Sea Option
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Architecture of Israel #
105
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May
2016
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page
english
Israel's population, currently 8 million inhabitants, with a
density of 395 residents per square kilometer - ranks 34th
in the world, and first among Western countries. And,
according to forecasts, the population is likely to double
itself by 2050.
With Israel approaching its limits of absorption capacity,
one must ask how land shortage will meet future housing
and infrastructure demands.
Under conditions whereby half of the land is designated
for preservation and army needs, and the majority of the
population is located along the coast, the sea was raised
as a relevant option.
The idea is to establish artificial islands, starting with
infrastructure projects that consume large areas, such as
harbors, airports, power stations and military facilities, to
be followed by residential quarters.
Conventional technology used for the foundations of
artificial islands is either quarried or mined material for
heavy wave-breakers - both consume a great deal of
material. However, in order to refrain from harming the
very limited natural scenery, such a method is not relevant
to our region. A new technology has been developed,
based on hollow wave-breakers and floating platforms.
Made of a concrete envelope, the hollow wave-breakers
use only about 4% of the required material needed for the
conventional ones. Examined at the marine engineering
laboratories of the Technion, they have proved effective
due to their sophisticated, hyperbolic structure, allowing
them to absorb about 80% of the wave energy, while
their production cost is only one-third that of conventional
wave-breakers. Since they float, they can be used at any
depth.
warm and crowded
what can one do...
go to the
sea
Established two years ago by a group of architects and landscape architects,
the Forum for Architecture and Landscape discusses issues affecting the built
and open environment. The activity includes informal social meetings, as well as
lectures and seminars; a recent conference dealt with land shortage and its impact
on the environment. There were two main speakers: Architect Prof. Michael Burt,
and geographer Prof. Arnon Soffer. Both held that the sea option is a reasonable
alternative to the declining free space, mainly due to real-estate projects that
carelessly devour the few land reserves intended for future generations.
The land gained by this by method when the sea depth
is around 20 meters, is estimated at approximately only
$300,000 per dunam.
It is important to note that the issue of artificial islands has
been discussed in Israel for 60 years. Burt's final thesis
in 1960 was titled “The Development of Urban Islands
opposite Mount Carmel. In 1973, airport engineer Hugo
Marom tried to promote the idea of transferring Sde
Dov Airport to the sea; in 1975, Architect David Yanai
proposed building a floating lagoon at Bat Galim; in 2003,
the subject was examined by government officials with
the idea of building artificial islands opposite the Gaza
Strip. In 2007, the Ministry of the Interior published a
document of intent; and in 2012, the Ministry of Science
and Technology set up a steering committee to examine
the technical and environmental aspects of the concept.
The committee determined that possible locations
as marked in Master Plan 37, were Old Acre, Hadera,
Netanya, or Havatzelet Hasharon, at a distance of about
seven to ten miles offshore.
Prof.ArnonSoffer
chairs theReuvenChaikinGeostrategy
department at Haifa University and, until recently, headed
the National Security College for Research. Soffer who
has long promoted the artificial islands issue, believes
that over and above the implications of demographic
density, the solution may have environmental, education–
related, behavioral consequences.
Architect Prof. Michael Burt
, previously Dean of the
Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion,
has been engaged in the research and development of
spatial structures since graduating from the Technion in
1960. In parallel, together with Arnon Soffer, he promotes
the world-wide accepted sea option under the title “The
Blue Boulevard”.
Dr. Gil Hargil
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