Troy, N.Y. — Three teams of architecture majors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute received recognition for their ideas and designs to create an alternative master plan for the Palestinian village of Ein Hud in Israel.

Shefali Sanghvi of Westbury, N.Y., and Kristin Malone of Portsmouth, R.I.; Marcel Perez-Pirio of San Jose, Calif., and Nick Liberis of Pomona, N.Y.; and Alyssa Klem of Bowie, Md., and  Kristen Kubera of Cicero, N.Y., — participated in the One Land, Two Systems international architecture competition sponsored by Israeli architect Malkit Soshan through his organization The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (F.A.S.T.). The teams of Sanghvi and Malone, and Perez-Pirio and Liberis were two of only seven teams to receive an honorable mention. The additional teams recognized including participants from Israel, Germany, France, and Austria. Klem and Kubera received the Rensselaer School of Architecture grand prize for design in the competition. The project was under the direction of visiting professor Chris Sharples of Sharples, Holden, Pasquarelli Architects (SHoP).

According to the F.A.S.T organization, more than 300 architects registered for the competition, 107 entries arrived from more than 30 countries, each one outlining a sustainable and livable alternative for the Palestinian village, in contrast to the Israeli government’s plan. 

“The story of Ein Hud is an example of the complex reality of ideological planning on an international level,” said Alan Balfour, dean of the School of Architecture at Rensselaer. “The decade ahead is unpredictable, with threats of terrorism, an increasing divide between rich and poor, and persistent political instability; all will test the power of architecture to provide a stable ennobling reality. It is in study abroad programs and participation in international competitions such as this that will prepare students for such a future as architecture plays an increasingly political role in international development.”

All fifth-year students in Rensselaer’s architectural program are required to submit designs to selected international competitions as part of their final senior project. Rensselaer has had programs in Italy, China, and India for a number of years.

One Land, Two Systems International Competition: Rensselaer student team entries  

TBH: Connective Art, a study in seamless de-territorialization by Shefali Sanghvi and Kristin Malone

Ein Hud and Ein Hod face each other on two opposing hillsides in an endless standoff, each standing for what the other abhors. They have developed as a result of the other; Ein Hud was developed out of necessity, when the residents of Ein Hod were forced from their homes after the war with Israel. Ein Hod was created by Marcel Janco, a founder of the Dada art movement which was created as a reaction against the evil capabilities of mankind as demonstrated in World War I. Yet the inherent nature of Ein Hod poses a contradiction — how can something which claims to embody the spirit of Dada be created by displacing an entire group of people?

The aim of this proposal is to try to address these issues, by creating a space that takes away the traditional role of opposing cities living in fear and hatred of the other. In a way, this proposal takes away the necessity of a municipal line, creating, instead, a place that can thrive in the creativeness that is Dada and Art, and be respectful of the culture and history of the Palestinians. To read full proposal, go to http://www.onelandtwosystems.com/person-201.3333-en.html. 

Team Supreme: Realizing Connexion by Marcel Perez-Pirio and Nicholas Liberis

While only a comprehensive policy overhaul can address the numerous and complex issues that embody the 50 year conflict between the village analogues Ein Hud and Ein Hod, this intervention seeks to ameliorate especially pressing settlement needs while conditioning part of the land with the intention of catalyzing future development. Examining other settlement layouts and logics confirmed that the majority of settlements are highly defensible, stratified arrangements of structures that do little to engage their environment.

The physical divide between agricultural, communal and social programs was pronounced, chiefly because layouts were determined by surveillance concerns and not by a desire for comfortable or sustainable inhabitation. In this scheme, the slope between Ein Hud and Ein Hod assumes an importance as a middle ground which both of the towns can equally utilize. Its neutrality predisposes it to a communal use, and all of the programs that are embedded in the hillside have in common characteristics that can resist privatization in this context. To read the full proposal, go to http://www.onelandtwosystems.com/person-201.3343-en.html.

Kubera and Klem: cross – graining Ein Hud by Alyssa Klem and Kristen Kubera

This project is about a developed menu of design strategies that are translated into a system that can be used on various sites. This enforces the idea of connections between settlements, by creating cohesive site strategies and pixelating the boarders that separate them.

The goals of the project are to develop a new hierarchy of priority, place various forms of connections and promote growth in respect to landscape over that of isolation for the sake of security. A way to achieve the last goal is to think of security in a different way. The isolation of small settlements can create an inverse effect in respect to security, making a town seem vulnerable to attack. The creation of a system of connections with outside communities can counteract this problem. To read the full proposal, go to http://www.onelandtwosystems.com/person-201.3336-en.html.

Contact: Jessica Otitigbe
Phone: (518) 276-6050
E-mail: otitij@rpi.edu