Uprising: Reviving the Village of Lifta

Architectural ruins created by bombings and abandoned following a conflict serve as a tangible and striking reminder of warfare and violence. Such ruins are usually restored, destroyed, or returned to nature. This study examines a less common category: a site preserved in a state of ruin. – Specifically, the evolution of the village of Lifta in the northwest of Jerusalem has been hindered since it was destroyed in 1948. The village is facing plan 6036, which proposes the demolition of the ruins and the construction of a new prestigious neighborhood as part of plan to demonstrate that Lifta can rise and grow again. However, the project offers the revival by a different method: the right of return to the original owners. The project entails the revitalization of the village’s remained building and preserving the village as an open linear museum that connects us and reveals the village’s assets, such as architecture, agriculture, the water system, and a picturesque view of the ruins among the mountains. In order to allow the village to exist in the 21st century and to deal with the existing difficulties of the topography and the ancient construction, preservation efforts were completed on the buildings and the road system in order to prevent the buildings from crumbling. With the help of new technologies and materials, it was possible to connect to the existing structure and build within it, on top of it, and around it without damaging the ruins.