אהיה לך בית

Upon reaching the age of 21, adults on the autism spectrum face a limited supply of tailored housing options, inclusive workplaces, and a sense of community belonging. Each year, approximately 1,500 young adults transition out of the special education system into a challenging reality without adequate solutions. Driven by a social vision and responding to this planning deficit, the project highlights the value of designing supportive and enabling spaces that accommodate sensory regulation and foster independence. The project proposes a model that supports these adults, striving to balance safe, independent living with integration into the urban-landscape fabric through a combination of housing, a therapeutic support framework, and socially productive employment. The design creates a spatial gradient based on the level of social and sensory exposure: to the east are commercial spaces, a café, and a gallery open to the city; at the center are employment workshops; and to the west, facing the sea, is the quiet zone containing therapeutic clinics and personal housing units. The design maintains a sensitive human scale (Sense of Scale) within the intervention area, fostering a profound sense of place (Sense of Place) of crucial importance for adults on the spectrum. As a main part of the design, a Brutalist building in the city of Netanya, which formerly served as the Soldiers' House ('Beit Feldman'), is converted into a productive employment center alongside new adjacent construction. The site connects to a green urban axis, overlooks the sea, and creates a therapeutic experience for the residents and the wider community. The design integrates shading elements that filter light to prevent glare, alongside a series of internal courtyards, ranging from a quiet therapeutic garden to an active community courtyard.