עכו - בין העיר לחומה

The project explores how historical layers that no longer exist in the physical space can be preserved and continue to live on as part of the cultural and urban memory of the place. The selected site is the buffer zone between Old Acre and New Acre, and between them and the sea. This area sits atop historical fortifications from the Crusader and Ottoman periods — a defensive system that allowed Acre to maintain its character as a historic Ottoman city and remain largely untouched by modern construction, earning it UNESCO World Heritage status. The project seeks to create a renewed connection between parts of the city through two public buildings. These buildings function both as a physical bridge between Old and New Acre and as a preservation mechanism that reintroduces the historical layers that have disappeared. They are located along the route of the former Crusader wall, marking the positions of the watchtowers, and the project also reconstructs sections of the damaged Ottoman fortifications. Another element of the intervention is the removal of the parking lot from the historic moat and its restoration as an open public space. This creates a new connection between the promenade, the city, and the sea — enhancing the historical heritage while integrating it into the contemporary urban fabric. The project does not aim to literally recreate the past, but rather to establish a spatial and experiential framework that allows residents and visitors to feel the history and reinterpret it within the present.