Course General Description

This integrative, multi-disciplinary programme builds on the knowledge-based design project, with the objective of enriching the quality of the environment in cities through innovative design that relates to the theoretical study of the spatial structure of the form of the city. Situated in the city of Jerusalem, its multifaceted environment provides a living laboratory for diversified urban subjects, from world-level conservation elements, through the rehabilitation of the inner city to restoration, renewal and new development on the outskirts of the city. These uniquely-Jerusalem phenomena weave together an unusual, seemingly unequaled diversity of ethnic, religious and cultural populations. The studio classes will analyse and address other urban environments that possess noteworthy complexity.

School General Description

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is an academic college of design and art located in Jerusalem, Israel. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest institution of higher education. It is named for the Biblical figure Bezalel, son of Uri (Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן־אוּרִי), who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:30). The art created by Bezalel's students and professors in the early 1900s is considered the springboard for Israeli visual arts in the 20th century. Bezalel is currently located at the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with the exception of the Architecture department, which is housed in the historic Bezalel building in downtown Jerusalem. In 2009 it was announced that Bezalel will be relocated to a new campus in the Russian Compound, as part of a municipal plan to revive Jerusalem's downtown. The new Bezalel campus is planned by the Tokyo-based award-winning architectural firm SANAA.