Desert Estate

When the state of Israel was established, Be’er Sheva was designed based on Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept and the model of English towns. The Garden City was gradually built over time but was left without what truly mattered—the gardens. Due to a lack of adaptation to the desert climate, the residential neighborhoods fell through the cracks, leaving the city incomplete.
The project focuses on planning a lively, vibrant, and diverse space that integrates an element that has been diminishing over the years—agriculture. To create a circular economy, agriculture is incorporated into the project both in housing and in the education of young people. The Oron Cinema project, designed by architect Yaakov Rechter and declared a preserved building, serves in this project as an exhibition center and plant gallery, alongside a farmer’s market featuring produce from the neighborhood’s agriculture.