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Gap Garden

by 

Ori Susak

Design and Technology track

Mentor — 

Itay Laniado

Cultivating Life in the Fabric of Artificial Urban Structures

According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans are mentally and socially dependent on the organic environment. Those living in urban environments may find it difficult to grasp the complexity of nature and life. 

Ever since the dawn of history, people have built shelters. These structures are meant to protect us from the exterior, from the unpredictable and uncontrollable. In contemporary culture, shelters keep away not only the real danger embodied by nature, but also every representation or reference of death carried by nature – extinction, rot, degeneration and aging. 

Despite the attempt to keep nature away from urban space, nature emerges and reappropriates the built environment. The project seeks to intensify the phenomenon and harness it in favor of the various city-zens: humans, insects and plants. It is situated in downtown Tel Aviv, where water surplus has been detected (dripping air conditioners, drainpipes, balconies, and manhole covers). Using parametric planning, the objects assume a pervious coral-like geometry. The complex surfaces combined with the texture and  compound  affect the object’s ability to hold life. I have chosen to examine the ability of common construction materials to serve as a platform for the growth of plants and insects.

The project encourages a rethinking of built space. What does the presence of nature in built environment have in store for us? Reflection? Lingering? Flinching? Longing?

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Ori Susak

Uri is an architect, with a B. Arch from the Tel Aviv University and an M.Des in industrial design from Bezalel. City mouse and nature enthusiast, Uri is interested in the social and cultural aspects of space. As an architect, she has participated in and led multiple planning and designing processes. In addition, she has created and exhibited design and installation works in the fields of architecture and urbanity.

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