Architecture as an Act of Healing: Vision for Conflict and Post-Conflict Territories.

Project idea

This thesis explores how architecture has a critical impact on crafting social relations. identities, territorial connections, and its effect on regions suffering from conflict; It is not merely the act of physical construction but a political and social weapon that is capable of cohesion or fragmentation.

Throughout a careful analysis of border walls around the world since the end of the Cold War, particularly focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a perfect manifestation of territorial division is the West Bank, Palestine. It unveils how architecture has been consistently used as a tool for spatial control, sociopolitical segregation, and territorial division.

Project description

Our project begins with a precise gesture: not to erase, but to overwrite. To conceive of the border as architecture means moving beyond the idea of the wall solely as an act of separation. It means considering it as a spatial element, an infrastructure capable of transforming territories, economies, and human relationships. At such costs, the wall cannot merely be about separation. It can—and must—become a productive structure, the backbone of a border economy, an element that generates connection and shared development.

The proposal suggests reshaping the Zionist masterpiece (The Wall)—one built on separation—turning it instead toward connected systems that move people and layer uses. Structures begin serving more than one purpose. Movement flows easier. What was once rigid now adapts, folding cooperation into daily reach. Spaces open up where exchange becomes possible, not by design slogan but through actual access. The original intent fractures, replaced by overlap, contact, and circulation. Division thins out as shared ground takes root. Infrastructure stations located along the former line of separation are at the heart of the strategy. These are envisioned not as neutral transit points but as multifunctional nodes or poles intimately linked to the socio-cultural fabric and the needs of the surrounding communities. To support local social networks and address context-specific priorities: Each node is envisioned as a place of interaction and solidarity.

We propose an integrated infrastructure along the wall, where the line expands into 134 "poles"—points of opening and support. These are places where the barrier becomes a threshold, and the threshold becomes useful space.

This infrastructure is articulated on three levels:
1. A railway for efficient transport of people and goods, opening new possibilities for contact between the two sides.
2. A network of services that channels water, energy, and telecommunications—fundamental resources for development.
3. A pedestrian and cycling path, a publicly accessible space that encourages mobility, encounters, and daily life beyond the border.

A village called Al-Walaja shows how this approach works. There, a planned facility brings together an olive pressing space shared by locals alongside a place for culture focused on olive farming customs. One part supports olive oil production; the other keeps knowledge alive. thereby valorizing the region’s agricultural heritage while generating economic opportunities.

The thesis moves beyond conventional paradigms of transport infrastructure. proposing instead a hybrid architectural model that embeds identity and resilience within the spatial reimagining of contested territories.

Technical information

The project manifests as a strong statement: a clear square form, imprinted on the map precisely where the wall's curve intersects it. It is a precise, almost provocative gesture: to reoccupy and transform the line of the wall.

The square form asserts itself in the landscape as a clear and legible element, a visible and intentional stance. But it is only upon closer approach that its true nature is revealed: a spatial device that reconnects and reactivates the landscape, allowing nature to re-emerge and traverse what was once a barrier.

In the section, the language shifts, and the message is clear: the architectural form is strong but not invasive. The composition is shaped by the terrain's morphology, following the natural contours of the terraces and slopes. The project does not impose itself on the landscape; it interprets it, embraces it, and amplifies it.

The roof is a walkable surface, a large, open public terrace. At its center, a grand, natural, and descending courtyard with our own terracing. Extrusions and skylights create a complex and vibrant topography, a composition that reflects the language of local houses, where solids and voids alternate in continuous dialogue with the sky and the ground.

At the entrance, the material essence of the project emerges. The massive, sculpted limestone block, a fragment of the territory, tells its story. Exposed concrete, with its structural honesty, defines the spaces, bridging the strength of the landscape and functionality. Rammed earth, plastered white, evokes ancient Palestinian building techniques. This is not coincidental; it is a manifesto of rootedness, a fusion of architecture, identity, and nature.

The upper level houses olive oil production. The volumes are separated, like small blocks scattered beneath the large roof. Between each block, nature intertwines. Living matter, the landscape, enters the project.

The lower level is dedicated to hospitality: tasting areas, accommodations, educational spaces, and tourism. Here too, the composition is fragmented and open. Every environment offers a cinematic view of the landscape, always filtered by greenery. The tasting space is simple yet immersive. The experience is sensory, engaging light, materials, and composition.

Documentation

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