The coastal nature trail is the first phase of the coastal nature park in the heart of the Tel Aviv.
In 2016 our studio won an open international competition to plan the last substantial open space in Tel Aviv, a 50-hectare site including the last sandstone cliffs in the city. The site is a unique one, and in a developing environment on the edge of a future neighborhood to include twelve thousand housing units.
In the midst of a public debate between the City and community and environmental agencies regarding the character of the future park, our proposal for a coastal nature park was selected. It’s vision and emphasis was on ecological restoration, conservation and recreation, allowing people to connect with nature while fostering appreciation for the coastal environment and its ecological significance.
The Covid epidemic in 2019-2020, while developing the design, 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.
The coastal nature trail is 1800 meters long, and it completes Tel Aviv’s promenade and bike trail providing continuity and connectivity of public access along the coast and connecting to the one in Herzliya, the city to the north of Tel Aviv.
At first glance, the trail seems like a ‘simple’ project in the landscape, a ribbon in the natural landscape, a pedestrian trail, a bike path, minimal lighting, rough woody benches and shade structures, and rich native plants and flora, but in reality, there were several complexities and challenges to resolve. Perhaps the key one was how to balance human use with ecological integrity.
The nature park intent is to achieve universal design that ensures that the park is accessible to people of all abilities, but achieving this with low-impact design strategies with regard to infrastructure and facilities and how to minimize disruption to the natural environment. This required the careful placement of paths and structures and having them mee both safety and accessible codes of urban standards.
Earthworks were minimized, removing invasive species, balancing cut and fill, and recycling and amending the local soils on site.
5 different ecologists were hired to consult, with surveying, developing codes for low impact development, providing direction in fencing, protecting areas to be conserved, evolving the plant palette including numerous endemic species we are returning to the site, ecological field guidance, and these days environmental monitoring. The Urban division of the nature conservancy was also part of the planning and design team.
The design team incorporated bio engineering techniques such as 9 thousand meters of Coir logs were incorporated for erosion control and soil stabilization. Beyond the fact that they blend in visually, they are flexible, biodegradable, and mimic natural and riparian conditions and effectively stabilize slopes and promote vegetation growth.
Lighting was another sensitive and key aspect in achieving a nature park. We strived to Balance the needs of humans and nature on site and to avoid light pollution at all costs. The low precast sand colored concrete bollards along the nature trail ensure safety and functionality for people while minimizing negative impacts on wildlife and ecosystems. Computer software assisted the light studies for the coastal trail and bike path lightings
6 months after opening the park, we are still monitoring the park’s ecology, and the rich biodiversity and both the human and wildlife activites in the park, and clearly see the vital role this nature park plays in the life of the community that already embraced the park, and we anticipate both communities to continue to grow and strive in harmony, nature and mankind.
Location:
TEL BARUCH NORTH, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
Design year:
2021-2022
Year Completed:
2023
