אדריכלות ישראלית - גיליון 125

Shade and Shading אדריכלות ישראלית Architecture of Israel # 125 May 2021 76 | | The importance of open space as a beneficial health factor has been known for many years. However, only since the 19th century, has it become a guiding principle in creating green lungs and public parks in towns and cities. Yet, world health specialists required several months to internalize the importance of open space as a significant tool for preventing the spread of Corona. The problem is that spending time outside during Israel’s summer (that lasts about 6-7 months), is almost impossible due to planning authorities who haven’t yet understood the necessity for shade in open spaces, mistakenly believing that providing shade requires large budgets. This, despite the many viable options available today; from the most elementary shading device to smart computerized methods of sensing and monitoring. The field of shading generally constitutes three basic categories: natural shading based on vegetation, artificial shading, and intelligent maneuvering between the two. The most elementary connection between passive and active shading is the simple pergola, apparently, the most overlooked element in Israeli architecture. Originating from the Latin, "Pergola" is a kind of cornice protruding from the building in order to create a calculated shadow across the openings. The device is already described in the Talmud as a support for a vine that drops its leaves in the winter, while sprouting broad leaves in summer – with a tempting bonus in the form of grapes". Due to Israeli inclination to "improvise", the pergola has gone through a wide variety of "mutations", usually by those who forgot (or never knew) that one mature tree lowers the temperature by approximately ten degrees, saving the energy required to operate four air conditioners! Lacking any climate awareness, the field is expressed in the considerable use of decorative "pergolas" that mainly serve to food for work natural shade and artificial shading Dr. Hillit Mazor extend the built area. Most pergolas are made out of an "innocent" timber beam that quickly "sprouts" light roofing and later on, aluminium windows, in order to create an extra room. Needless to say, such pergolas don’t necessarily create shade in the right place at the right time, but rather shade random spots, most of the time achieving the opposite result. Made of stone in the classical era, the pergola was considered a social component in the styled houses of the nobility. Evidence of this is found in the archeological digs at Pompeii and the Herculaneum. In the Middle Ages, pergolas were usually arched and appeared in ordinary houses as well, where they served as seating corners in gardens or orchards, and sometimes as an artist’s studio. During the Renaissance (as shown in many paintings), the pergola appeared as an integral part of the garden. In the 15th century, architect Leon Battista Alberti designed a villa for the Rochelle family in Karachi, where a neoclassical stone pergola covered with a vine led from the main gate to the center of the garden. And, regarding passive shading: until three decades ago, any "green" architect knew that the rays of the summer sun that penetrated from above could be blocked by cornices protruding from the building by about 60 centimeters, while allowing the low winter sun to penetrate the building. This basic architectural knowledge was totally forgotten in the air conditioner era when erroneous planning instructions are dictated by the planning authorities, whose main interest is property tax. Such bureaucratic attitudes also brought about the complete neglect of one of the most important features of Mediterranean Architecture – the inner courtyard. An important planning component, based on passive shading, in addition to many other climatic benefits, such as ventilation, protection from the winds and, no less important – a noticeable improvement in privacy, especially as building becomes increasingly dense. And thus the misunderstanding of the functional principles of the pergola and inner courtyard are also expressed in the planning of public spaces – where here and there aesthetic shading devices do everything except provide shade where it is needed. In this context, one must mention the role of the Planning Administration (responsible for most of the planning catastrophes in Israel) and the Ministry of Agriculture (responsible for the rest) that recently published a "National Guide for Shade Trees in Built-up Areas". Needless to say, the use of mature trees for shading public open spaces constitutes a crucial condition in Mediterranean cities and towns and excellent evidence of this appears in Tel Aviv in boulevards such as Sderot Rothschild and Sderot Hen, as well as Bialik Street in Ramat Gan and Sderot Hanassi in Herzeliya Pituach (considered one of the most pleasant streets in Israel to walk along), Sderot Ben Zvi in Haifa, most of the main streets on Moshavim, and most public spaces on Kibbutzim. And yes, in the photographs attached to the Ministry of Agriculture’s guide, one can see streets shaded by decades- old trees in which a micro-climate has formed, constituting an attraction to spend time outside. However, it is important to note that such a "romantic" document, written against the background of the fact that ninety percent of open public space in Israel is not shaded at all, preventing people from being outside for at least six months of the year. These examples are based on forty year- old, mature trees. In light of the fact that most public-land trees cannot be planted (not even young trees) the need for shade requires synthetic solutions, such as tensile canvas that may also be used in winter for protection against rain. The problem is that such solutions probably