This scheme constructs a cultural centre in an abandoned gypsum quarry in the highlands of the Negev desert in Israel. Its programme is based on an original idea by Professor Emanuel Mazor, a geologist working at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The version as built comprises the following components: a museum where one can discover the different aspects and potentials of the material gypsum, a visitors' centre, a studio, an open air theatre seating 300 and a pool for recycling water where one can linger.

As the project is at an isolated place, its parti issues from ecological and cultural considerations. The warm, dry climate is defining for the choice of location and the form of the volumes. Its actual siting is based on the prevailing flows of water and air which the project exploits for cooling purposes in the tremendous heat. Sunlight provides the interior lighting; locally available materials and techniques inform the building's fabric. The routeing through the complex is premised on local cultural usages.

The Gypsum Site, therefore, is an ecological design with its roots in the region, that aspires to a harmonious and enduring relationship between man and his surroundings. In addition the project seeks to showcase the advantages of desert architecture, as this phenomenon is largely unfamiliar to present-day Western society.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Deborah Hauptmann, Riet Moens-Gigengack & Martin Smit