The good city

On the eve of the war, the northern region was marked by vibrant settlement life: active agricultural production, functioning community institutions, and a steady rhythm of daily continuity. With the outbreak of hostilities, this reality shifted abruptly. Border settlements were evacuated, public spaces lay deserted, and cultivated fields were left untended. This sudden transformation starkly highlights the gap between the historical perception of the border as a human-spatial defensive wall and the contemporary reality, in which settlements have become exposed outposts and a fragile link in the national security system.
Against this backdrop, the project seeks to explore the potential of reimagining the border zone along the Lebanon frontier. The proposal is founded on a concept that integrates the reinforcement of civilian presence with the preservation of a distinct security dimension. The aim is not only to ensure continuity of settlement in times of crisis, but to establish an enduring strategy of sovereignty and spatial resilience.
The proposed model does not presume to provide a definitive solution to the complex challenges of border security. Rather, it offers a framework for responding to an ongoing condition of uncertainty by designing a built environment that accommodates civilian life alongside military activity. The interplay of these two layers generates a new paradigm in which the border is understood not merely as a geographic or political demarcation, but as an active, vital, and multi-layered space.
At the architectural scale, the project employs modular units inspired by elongated tubular forms. These units are strategically oriented to face and overlook the Lebanese side, embodying a dual dynamic: on the one hand, asserting a strong physical presence of Israeli structures on the ground; on the other, acknowledging the reciprocal gaze that traverses the border. In doing so, the project formulates a spatial language that fuses a distinct architectural expression with a political-social message, aiming to fortify local resilience and reinforce the state’s spatial continuity along the line of confrontation.