Group of Dwellings at Nazanet

Abstract

Nowadays Nazareth is a small religious town, with many churches and convents, but lacking altogether any quality that might rememorate its great traditions of the past. All that remains is its location: the adaptation of the buildings to the ground topography, and also perhaps the fact that the majority of its Arab dwellers give it a certain flavour, typical of the region. Not only at Jerusalem and Nazareth, but also at all sites of great historical or religious significance, it is a government requirement that local stone shall be employed for building, and so enhance the regional architectural tradition, for the benefit of the tourist. In consonance with the above two circumstances, the architects Sharon and Idelson have designed this housing project taking great care over the orientation, relationship to the sunrays, scenery and changes in the ground level. There are three different distribution patterns in this estate: each corresponds to a straightforward layout, and allows for cross ventilation of the various rooms. This is an important feature in the warm climate of this region.