The Dead Sea is a unique place with great potential for external tourism from all over the world, thanks to being the lowest place in the world, the sea with a high salt concentration and the healing properties of the water. This rare natural resource has been drying up in recent decades due to the activity of the Dead Sea factories in the southern lake area, the desert climate and the diversion of water sources and dams that lead water to it. As a result, the water level drops significantly every year, with the rate of decline being one meter per decade. The drop in sea level causes a constant phenomenon of sinkholes forming along its shores.
The sinkhole phenomenon in itself is dangerous and the ground beneath it is unstable. Today, these areas are blocked from access and construction in them is mostly prohibited. I saw in this special landscape phenomenon planning and tourism potential, which is why I chose to locate the project in the Mitzpe Shalem area, which is located in the north of the Dead Sea.
This is a phenomenon that is only going to grow over time, and that is why I chose not to ignore it and establish the project in this area, near the Sinkholes Park, in order to turn this dynamic phenomenon into a first-of-its-kind tourist attraction that will function as a site and not just a place to visit.
The project deals with the planning and implementation of architecture alongside wild nature and proposing a unique solution for dealing with construction on unstable ground.
The resort offers a hotel and guest rooms that float above the sinkholes and the Dead Sea and include scenic walking trails made of salt crystals, as the hotel's main attraction for wandering and walking along and inside the sinkholes.
The hotel also offers a health and healing center for vacationers and, among other things, a major scientific research center for studying the Dead Sea and the sinkhole phenomenon.
The sinkhole phenomenon in itself is dangerous and the ground beneath it is unstable. Today, these areas are blocked from access and construction in them is mostly prohibited. I saw in this special landscape phenomenon planning and tourism potential, which is why I chose to locate the project in the Mitzpe Shalem area, which is located in the north of the Dead Sea.
This is a phenomenon that is only going to grow over time, and that is why I chose not to ignore it and establish the project in this area, near the Sinkholes Park, in order to turn this dynamic phenomenon into a first-of-its-kind tourist attraction that will function as a site and not just a place to visit.
The project deals with the planning and implementation of architecture alongside wild nature and proposing a unique solution for dealing with construction on unstable ground.
The resort offers a hotel and guest rooms that float above the sinkholes and the Dead Sea and include scenic walking trails made of salt crystals, as the hotel's main attraction for wandering and walking along and inside the sinkholes.
The hotel also offers a health and healing center for vacationers and, among other things, a major scientific research center for studying the Dead Sea and the sinkhole phenomenon.
Every year the level of the Dead Sea drops by more than a meter.
In the last 60 years the Dead Sea has lost almost half of its surface, and today the southern basin has already disappeared and turned into evaporation ponds.
In the last 60 years the Dead Sea has lost almost half of its surface, and today the southern basin has already disappeared and turned into evaporation ponds.
Future projections indicate a continued decline in sea levels. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in a "business as usual" scenario without intervention in the deficit water balance, sea levels are likely to drop an additional 60 meters by 2070, and their area is expected to shrink by an additional 15 percent.
The drop in sea level is causing sinkholes to appear along its coast.
Sinkholes can reach a depth of 26 meters; the number of sinkholes reaches more than 6000 and their appearance is increasing at a rate of several hundred years.
Sinkholes can reach a depth of 26 meters; the number of sinkholes reaches more than 6000 and their appearance is increasing at a rate of several hundred years.
I chose to locate the project in the northern area of the Dead Sea, since all the resort complexes are in the southern area and also due to the large number of sinkholes in the northern area that prevent visitors from arriving.
Mitzpe Shalem is a settlement and kibbutz in the Judean Desert, located about a kilometer from the Dead Sea coast, about 13 km north of Kibbutz Ein Gedi. The kibbutz was established in 1971, as a Nahal outpost. Today, the kibbutz belongs to the kibbutz movement.
The kibbutz has about 220 residents
The kibbutz's economy is based on agriculture and tourism.
The kibbutz has about 220 residents
The kibbutz's economy is based on agriculture and tourism.
RAMMED EARTH
An ancient construction technique, a strong, thermally insulated construction that is resistant to wear and tear.
During the construction process, a moist mixture of soil is compacted into an external supporting frame. Once the soil has been compacted, the wall frames can be removed immediately.
Advantages of building with rammed earth:
1. Regulating temperature differences
2. Regulating humidity in the interior spaces
3. Environmentally friendly construction
4. Long-lasting durability and resistance to damage
During the construction process, a moist mixture of soil is compacted into an external supporting frame. Once the soil has been compacted, the wall frames can be removed immediately.
Advantages of building with rammed earth:
1. Regulating temperature differences
2. Regulating humidity in the interior spaces
3. Environmentally friendly construction
4. Long-lasting durability and resistance to damage
The hotel hovers above the sinkholes and the Dead Sea and functions as a winding bridge structure with many levels. In addition to recreation rooms, the building also contains various public functions and attractions for strolling and walking alongside the sinkholes.
