Cinematheque Tel Aviv

 The Cinematheque Plaza is an urban focal point, part of a sequence of green axes connecting the city with the ocean. It is at the center of a lively space within the city, full of commerce, culture and residential life. 

The Cinematheque Plaza was already in existence, albeit in a closed form. It was already indicated. It was already there. This is a space whose immediate whereabouts are in continuous renewal: Givon Square and the bustling storefronts of HaArba’a Street, as well as the refurbishment of the Cinematheque itself. 

The main transformation included the reduction of existing infrastructure from the space: the removal of gates and walls, benches that obstructed the connection between the Plaza and its side streets. The objective was to clean the ornamental. What is really there? What is important to preserve? Sometimes, it is mostly the activities of its residents. By removing the obstructing infrastructure, we were able to build a new Plaze while amplifying the activities of HaArba’a Street.

Operational Principles: 

A closed side panel towards Karlibach Street, and an open framework towards HaArba’a Street and its cafes. 

Assembly – the urban plaza as an open space – enabling an interdisciplinary framework for a wide range of formats

Experiential Experiences – sitting surfaces

Transitions 

The development of the interdisciplinary space enables people’s mobility within it. It also creates new opportunities for changing municipal needs, while preserving the city’s cultural monuments.

In order to maximize mobility yet direct visitors to the building and its surroundings, we created “folds” within the groundwork, as an attempt towards an urban landscape. The pavement system was matched to the existing groundwork, and hints at the space’s directionality. A sing-step can become its own location within a space. A bench offers an embrace by the city to its inhabitants. 

The existing Orchid Trees were preserved with flat flowerbeds added around them. This new ‘unification’ between nature and the surrounding park benches create garden pockets which serve as a poetic break from the city’s bustling life. 

Throughout its history, the plaza has housed conferences, performances, protests and large gatherings of all kinds. Sometimes these occur on the lower level, other times on the upper level, and usually with a combination of both. The street lights were designed to enable each one of these events, while allowing for a play with color and the light’s focal point.