Torah the quintessential blueprint : an approach to contemporary Jewish Architecture

Considering the complexity of Jewish history, religion, and politics, is it

possible to propose a contemporary Jewish architecture?

By weaving elements of modern design practice with spatial concepts

drawn from Jewish tradition, this thesis will explore new methods of

drawing architecture intrinsically rooted in Torah and Jewish Culture.

This investigation is centred on the many guises of “Bezalel”. From a

biblical perspective Bezalel (the persona) offers a connection to the deep

architectural roots that are intrinsic to the tradition of the Torah and Jewish

culture. On the other hand, is the allegory of a divine relationship with

architecture relevant in modern Israel? To address this question, the

allegorical facets of Bezalel the biblical architect are tested within the

context of a design competition for Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of Arts

and Design. By transposing the contemporary Jewish compositional

approach of musical composer John Zorn to the realm of architecture, I

offer a proposal for a new Bezalel (the academy) that addresses the

tension between the latent metaphysical aspects within Jewish tradition

and the realities of modern Jerusalem.