Technology

The stone dome, used often in the local pre ’48 architecture, was a logical way to build a strong roof without cement, which was not in use yet, or wood which was scarce. This and other forms of arches, which stemmed from a constructive necessity, have become a symbol of “traditional” architecture and are emulated in modern Israeli housing projects (usually the more upscale ones)- but with materials (cement) that render them meaningless. There is no constructive justification to use these shapes, and so what is left is a formative decoration.

Some of the openings of the new projects- in Malha and beyond- are imitations of traditional local architecture. Arched windows and doors were an effective way of creating safe openings in heavy stone walls, but when the walls are built of cement, the supportive system of a stone arch loses its meaning. The stone we see is just a thin coating pasted on the wall. The keystone which has the familiar trapezoid shape is just an illustration of a historical reality.

There are also minor gestures, such as a row of perforations in the low wall of the roof. The effect they have is in fact the same in both new houses and old. The altered building technologies haven’t rendered them meaningless. What has is the changed lifestyle. When roof was an important place for various household chores such as washing, there was a need to enable air flow while retaining privacy. But in the modern Israeli houses which incorporate this system, it is not of practical use and is nothing more than decoration.