Across The Line
Across The Line
Embedded Files
Infrastructure & Foundation Development.
Battir’s socio-culture connection to its land.
Site Analysis
Most of Battir's built up area is located in the northern part of the village around the old village core. The southern side of the village is less dense. The urban area is linearly distributed along the main road from the north-west to the south-east. This is due to several causes including the local topography as well as the main internal road that effectively bisects Battir. Those parts of the village that are in close proximity to the internal road are located in Area B, while parts of the village in the east and west are located within Area C.
Infrastructure & Foundation Development.
Programs
Agriculture & Farming.
Agriculture & Farming.
Agriculture is a very important component of the town's identity and heritage, it plays an immense role of the residents' income and daily routine. The objective of incorporating more agricultural purposes and and utilities is to expand the tenants opportunities and potential of doing more of what the love and value whilst helping them earn more income and exposure.
Possible actions:
adding greenhouses for certain types of plants that don't grow in every weather/season.
Introducing new ways to harvest crops in season and maintaining them.
Providing necessary tools and stations for taking care of the fields.
Adding a research lab that provides more information about the crops and help upcoming generations learn the way of agriculture through science and practice.
Trails.
Trails.
Setting up walking trails across the town with the potential of having a guider to show and introduce around would help bring more order to tourists coming to visit the site. It would also allow the visitors to experience Battir's hidden gems that any outsider wouldn't notice such as a local would. Such as the valleys, terraces, archaeological sites, history of the people and their way agriculture, best areas to visit and when to visit them etc..
Central Market.
Introducing a central market to Battir will offer more exposure to the town from surrounding areas and it would provide a more open space for all residents to sell their crops and homemade goods freely and in a more connected area which farmers and residents can communicate on a higher level and benefit from each other, this can also benefit farmers from selling big batches of their their crops and shipping to furthers areas to bigger clients potentially.
Train Station.
Train Station.
Reopening a train station will allow more access for the residents of Battir to go in and out about to their daily needs and routines for things that aren't available nearby or in town, it would also ease access for visitors to come by to town, tour around and get to know the area. The train station would be a connection spot to the central market where it can be used to ship goods as well.
Residential Area.
The residential area will aid the site to find a better solution for living situations whilst still maintaining the true form of the heritage site and its historical value as well as it's architectural style. This new residential area will combat the issues of not being able to build upon core zones due to restrictions of ruining the site, it'll take into consideration the potential of the neighborhood growing bigger in the future and enabling it to to add and change form accordingly to the residents' needs. the form the project takes the organic shape of the terracess and the flow of the water streams and canals, it's desgined moderinly yet still maintains the same elemnts of the true state of the village and it's senses.
Watch Towers.
Watch Towers.
Land Of The People.
Land Of The People.
The land area used to build the market complex is preserved and remained as an open agriculture land, the river drawn across the topography of the area is extended and divided equally along the terrain of the farmland to irrigate the vegetation, wildlife and bring the space together. The village is filled with passion for handmade works and crafts, having spaces for local businesses such as ceramics, wood works, clothing, arts, accessorizes, cooking and more will help the locals sustain their works and earn a living form it.
Farmers Market:
After the war, Battir was totally annexed to Bethlehem, and its inhabitants continued to depend on agriculture as a major source of income despite all difficulties. Even through the orders of building the separation wall, They remained committed to living in peace and de- dictated their time and effort to taking care of their lands. However their market shifted totally to Bethlehem, where the villagers still sell their products today. Dedicating permanent spaces for locals to sell their produce would reflorish Battir's economic situation once again and bring back the soul of the village.
Battir's Train Station
The construction of the railway station in the village of Battir reflects the importance of the village. Villagers used the train to transport their goods from the village of Battir to Jerusalem, which was the most important market. The villagers continued using the train until the 1948 war. Rebuilding the train station of Battir would allow locals to ship their goods more efficiently, reconnect the village to Jaffa and Jerusalem and attract more tourists to enjoy the villages prosping qualities.
Botanical museums:
Battir is known for its abundance of plant variety form herbs, vegetables, fruits and crops. having a space displaying all the different types of plants surrounding the area will bring more awareness to its uniqueness and educate all ages about the region.
Library / Study space:
This space is located nearby a high school which would make a considerable addition to the area for student to pursue their education and gain more information about any de- sired topics.
Garden rooftop:
The rooftop views over the mountains of Battir and its surroundings villages, the spaces provides a resting space for workers and students in the building or simply people passing by, wanting to enjoy the scenery.
Research lab:
The research lab offers spaces for locals to experiment with different materials and equipments to enhance crop growth and work more effiecntly. it allows the farmers to look in depth to each type of crop and its background, needs, and growing habitat. Examining nowadays technology along with traditionally ways of working with agriculture would aid maximize the chances of getting fresh produce all year round. and exploring new variations along the way..
Practice workshops:
Assuring the presence of spaces for leaning new fields and working by hand will keep young generations engaged and invested into being in contact with their surrounding environments. practice workshops offer segments of each field the local area works with. such as, farming, knitting and embroidery, cooking, literature, playing instruments, folk dancing and much more.
Culture museum:
The culture museum display all types of objects and artifacts related to the area and surrounding, such as palestinian clothing, local pain- tings, art, historical and archaeological remains and so on.
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