Beit Shneor – Etgarim Center

Tel Aviv- Jaffa

Located in Ganei Yehoshua, Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park, the project was designed for the cycling activities of the Etgarim association and is named after Shneor Cheshin, who was killed in a cycling accident. The complex includes four buildings totaling 500 sqm – an office and services building, classroom buildings and two special bicycle storage buildings – all designed to the highest level of accessibility.

The buildings are set along an inner street covered by a light, transparent roof, allowing outdoor activities for the Etgarim children and direct access to Ganei Yehoshua. Cheshin's spirit hovers above the complex in the wings of the storage buildings' roof, which continues as a pergola and as a light roof over the street.

At the heart of the design is the concept of FREE. On a symbolic level, it is expressed in the free and open placement of the four buildings, with shade between them. On a functional level, freedom is expressed in the relationship between the buildings and their surroundings – this is not a closed compound but an integral part of the space around it, a space that is essential to the sense of security and joy of the Etgarim children, children with special needs.

Planning Team: Yoav Messer Architects – Yulia Speshilov, Nelly Skomorovskaya, Noa Sela | Photography: Maxim Dupliy