אדריכלות ישראלית - גיליון 125

Michal Kucik אדריכלות ישראלית Architecture of Israel # 125 May 2021 94 | | Every time I think of an architect who has died, I remember a conversation with Prof. Bruno Zevi about the importance of architectural journals in general and the architectural profession in particular. "The best advantage I see in this profession (said Bruno) is that architects never die, they only move on to another place." On the same occasion that took place just before Zevi "moved on to another place", Bruno, editor of the Italian journal, L’architeturta, said that in his next incarnation he dreamed of replacing me as editor of Architecture Israel. Though I personally don’t believe in reincarnation, there is no doubt that (the late) architect Michal Kucik learned and practiced Buddhism for a number of years, professionally demonstrating the relationship between past and future. This, due to her ability to perceive what was hidden in what many saw as "ruins" as a starting point for another project. Her powerful motivation to conserve was revealed in her dedicated efforts to preserve Templar buildings in the Sarona colony, where she skillfully managed to bring the stories of the past back to life. Incarnation is, in fact, at the heart of the idea of sustainable architecture, when each incarnation evolves from its previous one. And conserving the urban fabric, like Sarona’s, constitutes in her mind an enormous advantage, as opposed to the evacuation plan already approved by the Israel Lands Administration, which saw only the economic aspect of the land. In fact, most planning authorities fail to comprehend that urban fabric resembles a coral island that can never develop unless something else precedes it. And this fits into Michal’s Real Estate involvement in downtown Haifa, where she and her partner, Dror Aviram, were pioneers. Michal had the ability to distinguish between an act that benefitted everyone and something that benefitted her profession as an architect. She didn’t remembering michal kucik - not going anywhere Ami Ran really know much about downtown Haifa when she was attracted there by her life and office partner. It was only then, when she spontaneously understood the potential beneath the layers of neglect, misery and filth, that she said with neither embellishment nor poetry – "it will be wonderful here". Her conservation instincts and romantic soul came together and consulting with colleagues, she decided to purchase the first building with her own savings. After gaining some experience, she opened up the way to other projects, which today drive a renewal movement in downtown Haifa, although the municipality had no rehabilitation plan. It worked like the Ice-cream Shop Theory: when one shop succeeds, several others immediately open up nearby. It was only after her initiative, following the activity of several entrepreneurs, that then Mayor Yona Yahav, started to promote the Port Compound Renovation plan.