The Eretz Israel Museum opened its gates in Northern Tel Aviv in 1958. Its goal was to exhibit archaeological findings from different times and all over Israel and demonstrate its multiculturalism and rich diversity.
The 20 Hectare campus resides on a historical and archeological site on the northern bank of the Yarkon River and at its heart lies ‘Tell Qasile’, a 40-meter-tall hill dated back to the philistines period 1200 BC.
The Muza Bustan is located on the western edge of the Museums’ Campus, a 9-Hectare site, defined by the western slopes of Tell Qasile, and the Haim Lebanon, Namir, and Rokah streets.
For the past several decades it was fenced off from the city and inaccessible to the public. The site was primarily an operational and logistics area, housing local antiquities in a semi-gardened, semi disturbed landscape with remnants of natural sandstone outcrops, huge native Jujube, olive and pomegranate trees
The Museum’s vision was to open the museum to the public and create an open, accessible and public park. One that connects the Museum with the City, and the People with their historic landscape.
Opening large tracts of the Museum to the public is an expression of its character as a social and cultural institution that is an integral part of the fabric of urban life.
Studio De Lange and Kimmel Eshkolot Architects won an invited competition to create a master plan for the renewal of MUZA Eretz Israel Museum and Studio Urbanof Landscape Architecture was hired to plan and design the Muza Bustan as the first stage in the implementation of the Museum’s comprehensive renewal plan.
Our work in developing the planning and design of the Bustan, commenced shortly after the covid pandemic ended, further highlighted the vital role that nature parks play in enhancing urban sustainability, resilience, and livability by providing blue and green infrastructures, conserving biodiversity, and promoting human well-being in densely populated urban environments such as Tel Aviv’s.
Our challenge in planning and designing the MUSA BUSTAN was to translate the ephemeral and poetic idea of “the bustan” into a physical space with mineral and vegetative qualities that grow from the DNA of the Israeli Bustan with a focus on cultural and historic preservation, incorporating local cultural and historical elements in the park design and programming, reflecting the heritage of the site in an ultra-urban setting, and blending the two into a new 21st century nature infused urban park.
• How does one balance between a large, open, and inviting public space to a small scale and intimate moment in the shade of a fruit tree?
• How does one create a garden that provides shelter and an escape from city life (in the heart of the city!?) while providing a sense of openness and a space that feels safe to be in?
Key Ideas:
The MUSA Bustan is a nature inclusive urban oasis.
The Bustan as an Arboretum
The MUSA Bustan suggests an interpretation, the garden as a place of diverse botanical life infused with nature. An arboretum, as a curated collection of Israeli native and fruit trees and local plants and herbs. These symbolize the richness and diversity of human experiences, virtues, and vices. Just as an arboretum showcases various species, each with its unique characteristics and beauty.
In this context, the Bustan as an arboretum underscores the idea of life as a garden where different elements coexist, interact, and contribute to the overall beauty and complexity of the world. The urban park invites readers to contemplate the interconnectedness of life and the lessons that can be gleaned from observing the diverse manifestations of human nature, much like wandering through the paths of an arboretum and reflecting on the wonders of nature, all this, in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Resiliency and Nature Based Solutions in the Bustan
The MUSA Bustan is designed as a zero footprint with regard to stormwater.
The entire 9 Hectare relies on nature-based solutions (NBS) including components of sustainable water management strategies allowing both natural infiltration while the rest of the stormwater is collected and diverted to a wetland and from their feeding a natural pond designed with eco-hydrologists and the urban division of the nature conservancy.
The nature-based solutions here relate to water as a valuable asset in the Israeli semi-arid climate while providing the Museum with a resilient and sustainable environment that benefit both people and nature
Local and Reused Materials
A Bustan pavement was developed for the project. Inspired by local natural cut stone, we manufactured a local desert-based stone that meets all disability codes while preserving the poetry and natural qualities of the site. Hundreds of seating areas including recycled historic millstones, reused Cypress and Eucalyptus trees, all in cool, intimate and shady corners. All of these in a rich setting of grapevine trellises, mulberry trees, and soft and sheltering native Mediterranean flora.
Finally, With the opening of the park to the public, the sites distributed around it will remain an integral part of the Museum and its exhibition spaces, and will host exhibitions, workshops, festivals and external events
The first phase of the park opened in September 2023. These days we are monitoring both the human and wildlife activities in the park, and clearly see the crucial role this nature park plays in the life of the community and of the constant visitors from the Tel Aviv larger region, and hope the new MUSA BUSTAN will serve as a beacon for sustainable development and resiliency, and a model for designing for nature and mankind.
Architecture offices involved in the design:
Studio De Lange and Kimmel Eshkolot Architects
Location:
Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv
Design year:
2021-2022
Year Completed:
2023
