A tour guided by Amnon Haan from the Friends of the Swifts Association, that will stop at various sites in Tel Aviv where swifts have found a home in the spring, their nesting season. Tour participants will be introduced to these special birds, which have excellent maneuvering abilities and reach a flight speed of 200 km per hour! They will also hear why the swifts even come to the city, how modern construction affects them, and what importance they hold for us, human beings. 

This 90-minute tour is being held in cooperation with the Greater Tel Aviv-Yafo Community of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

estimated end point: Schiff Residence (HerzLilienblum)

Architect: Carl Rubin, 1935

The architect Rotem Zeevi, who is in charge of Beit Hadar`s preservation, will tell the story of this special building which is scheduled to undergo preservation. It is an International Style office building, and the first and only one from that period that has a steel frame. During the tour, which will access different parts of the building, Zeevi will point out its architectural qualities and unique elements and hardware. She will also refer to a number of anecdotes associated with its history, including an article published in the Palestine Post in 1937, which described the building as representing the "most superb construction initiative ever undertaken in Tel Aviv, and one of the most impressive buildings in the city."

Architects: Bar Orian Architects, 2011

The architect, Gidi Bar Orian, will talk about this office building which he designed for Kia Motors. The elegant building is constructed like a clean glass cube, accentuated by a dramatic roof reminiscent of a visor. The building generates an urban change in its immediate surroundings by means of two architectural gestures: (1) the fact that it is set back from the street creates an urban plaza and (2) an avenue runs along its side façade (shared with the adjacent building – the EcoTower) and links Hamasger Street with Homa U`Migdal Street. The tours will also address the building`s unique interior partitions and ecological qualities.

A rare opportunity to see the archive at the Dov and Ram Caspi Architecture Firm, which underwent reorganization and construction by the architects Elad Horn and Talia Davidi, with assistance from the Israeli Architecture Archives. Participants will be shown some stored documents and plans associated with iconic architecture projects in the country, such as the Mann Auditorium, El Al House and the Trade Union Executive Committee Building, which represent different and diverse periods in architecture and Israeli society.

Architects: David Azrieli; Eli Attia; Yasky-Sivan Architects, 2008

Would you like to see Tel Aviv from an altitude of 187 meters? The management of the Azrieli Towers is hosting two tours at the Azrieli Center and the Round Tower – which are among the city`s most familiar landmarks. The tour will pass through the tallest of the three towers and talk about the connection between the shopping mall and the towers. It ends with a view from the helicopter landing pad located on top of the tower.

 

Architect: Dan Troim, 2012

An 80 square meter apartment in a train-like tenement building from the 1950s, which was recently replanned and redesigned by its owner, the architect Dan Troim. Troim specializes in designing commercial spaces and restaurants (Shulchan, Hadar Ochel, and the Avigdor Events Loft are among the restaurants he designed). The renovated apartment makes use of materials that seek to create a sense of an Israeli "lack of substance," in the spirit of the 1960s working class and inspired by American architecture of the same period.

The studio`s website: www.dantroim.com

A discussion at the Tami Hirsh Architects firm, which will shift between the macro and micro aspects of green construction, illustrated by green design and construction projects that the firm has spearheaded. These projects include Training Bases City, the Yemin Orde Youth Village on the Carmel, public buildings, and smaller projects such as the interior design of the firm`s own office space. Municipal guidelines for green construction, which the firm has drafted for a number of local authorities, will be presented as well.

A visit at the apartment rented by the interior designer, Ziv Kricheli. It illustrates just how much an apartment`s design and the quality of life it offers can be influenced without modifying the original blueprint – despite a limited budget and despite the assumption that living there is only temporary.   The apartment, which is located in a new residential hi-rise in the Bizaron neighborhood and overlooks a spectacular urban landscape, is one of the first harbingers of Bizaron`s future skyline.

Architects: Hagai Rabi and Edith Mann, Void Solutions, 2011

An open house at the unusual home of the young architects Hagai Rabi and Edith Mann, which they also use as a studio. It is a narrow, bright and sunlit urban cottage that was built in place of an old workshop they bought. Located on the outskirts of the Florentine neighborhood, the house is situated between machine and carpentry shops, and is scheduled to be torn down as part of a demolition-reconstruction project.

The architect Alon Bin Nun, the curator of Open House Tel Aviv, leads this bike tour that will pass through streets that constitute planning and stylistic boundaries. Their most salient feature is the difference in the nature of the buildings and the urban experience found between both sides of the same street. The tour will begin on Rishonim Street, which has eclectic buildings on one side, and International Style buildings on the other. From there it will continue to Ben Zion Boulevard, which serves as a boundary between downtown Tel Aviv and the Geddes Plan. One of the next stops will be Arlozorov Street, one side of which is included in the White City zone, whereas the other is not   At each one of these urban seams Bin Nun will talk about the stylistic, historic, planning or zoning reasons underlying the differences.

Participation in the bike tour is unrestricted and is at the cyclist`s own risk. Each participant must come equipped with a bike in good working order, a helmet, and water.

The architect, Uriel Babczyk, leads this bike tour that will introduce the participating cyclists to the bike paths found at Jaffa Slope Park. From there, using the new bike path, they will continue to Hapisga Garden and the seaside promenade– where they will hear about the promenade development project which has led to a bitter public controversy. There will also be a stop at the first Israeli traffic light for bicycles. After reaching the end of the scheduled route, participants can continue on their own to HaYarkon Park or try out the new bike path that runs parallel to Sde Dov Airport and runs as far as Tel Baruch Beach. The tour lasts about two hours. Level of difficulty: moderate.

Mati Aleh, a veteran cyclist who is active on Israel`s bike paths, leads this tour on new bike paths in Tel Aviv, passing by city squares and art in the public domain. The tour lasts about 90 minutes. Level of difficulty: easy.

The architect Itay Horwitz, a member of the Israel Bicycle Association, leads this low-difficulty bike tour through some of the neighborhoods located east of the Ayalon River (Bizaron, Yad Eliyahu, Hatikva, Kfar Shalem). He will point out a surprising variety of construction complexes, parks, and urban issues, while testing the different types of bike paths included in the tour, among them the green route in the eastern part of the city currently being formed. The tour will end near Derech Lod, from where it`s easy to return to the meeting place or continue on to Ariel Sharon Park for more bike riding.