THE CENTRAL BUS STATION
NAOMI KLEIN / FINAL YEAR STUDIO PROJECT
Gentrifying Neve Shaanan Neighborhood, Tel Aviv // 2012
The Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, popularly known as the monster is one of the most problematic buildings in Israel, which many hold has contributed to the degradation of Neve Shaanan. Standing in sharp contrast to the area's historically unique urban fabric, the closed, concrete mega-structure and the pollution its very function entails has choked the neighborhoods' intended flow and vitality. Many have argued that only by destroying this structure can the damage it has caused be reversed. However, not only will the demolition of this structure pose enormous environmental challenges but there may be architectural features and qualities worth preserving. This project's objective is to integrate the building into the urban fabric by removing the bus station and its walls that separate it from the surrounding environment, in-filling its vast spaces with primarily low income sustainable housing and community- supportive social and commercial spaces. By carefully studying, processing, and analyzing the structure from its bare bones, can one understand this complex structure as well as metamorphosis it into a useful, productive building that contributes to the neighborhood and environment.