Preserving cultural heritage
Open-Air Museum by the Dead Sea by Kimmel Eshkolot
© Amit Goshen
A witness to history
The new Moshe Novomesky Visitor Centre is located south of the Dead Sea in Sodom. From 1934 until the early 1950s the grounds, which measure 180 000 m², served as an encampment for the Palestine Potash Company, which had been established by engineer Moshe Novomesky. In 1948, the company was nationalized; in subsequent years its name was changed to the Dead Sea Works.
The entrance to the new Moshe Novomesky Visitors Centre in Sodom, Israel. © Amit Goshen
427 m below sea level
Kimmel Eshkolot Architects took on the painstaking restoration and preservation of the existing structures. New buildings round out the complex that shows visitors the history and development of industrial salt extraction 427 m below sea level in Israel.
Architectural heritage
Preserved industrial facilities, warehouses, administrative buildings and a traditional workers’ complex including living quarters and a dining room now count among the centre’s architectural heritage and reflect how people lived and worked in the region, which was quite isolated at the time. Historical photographs, objects and videos are valuable documents that complete the visitors’ experience.
Authentic reconstructions stand harmoniously beside pre-existing buildings in the limestone surroundings. © Amit Goshen
Restrained architecture
In reconstructing the water tower and watchtower and building the visitor centre, architect Eton Kimmel and his team chose authentic materials such as heat-treated pine slats for the facades and terraces as well as galvanized corrugated sheeting for the roofs. The timeless structures fit unobtrusively into the landscape and preserve the character of the original complex.
The facades consist of heat-treated pine slats. Galvanized corrugated sheeting was used for the roofs. © Amit Goshen
Lorem Ipsum: Zwischenüberschrift
Modern additions in the new buildings are the aluminum-framed glazing and air conditioning that ensures visitors a pleasant stay in temperatures that can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Architecture: Kimmel Eshkolot Architects
Client: Dead Sea Factory
Location: Sodom, Israel (IL)
Design team: Inbal Pintzov, Liran Malka
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