Anat geva - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Anat geva
The history of the Jewish diaspora in Tunisia is considered to begin in 586 bce when Jews settled... more The history of the Jewish diaspora in Tunisia is considered to begin in 586 bce when Jews settled in Djerba following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.1 Long before the Muslims conquered North Africa, the Jews and Phoenicians had established a home in Ifriquia, now known as Tunisia.2 Until the major migration to Israel and France in the 1950s, the island of Djerba was home to the largest Jewish community in Tunisia, followed by the mainland cities of Gabes and Tunis.3 Other Tunisian Jewish communities were scattered around the country, mainly in the south.4
Djerbian society is a heterogeneous and composite one, in which different races and religions coexist. It is even referred to by mainland Tunisians as “the island of minorities.” Despite this diver- sity, a uni ed Djerbian identity has always been apparent. Unlike on the mainland, the coexistence of Jews and Muslims served as an inspiration in the construction of the island’s synagogues.
The exceptional collection of more than twenty synagogues on the island attested to this coexist- ence and the paramount role that religion and ritual played amongst Djerbian Jewry. The continu- ous emigration of Djerba’s Jewish population during the second half of the twentieth century, as well as the precarious state of some of these synagogues, has left most of them abandoned. Today, only eleven synagogues function in one of the two Jewish villages on the island, with ve in the other, serving mostly as places of study (yeshivot).5 The most signi cant synagogue in Djerba is the El-Ghriba, the oldest synagogue in North Africa6 that uni ed Jews and Muslims and serves as a national landmark. 7
Focusing on the El-Ghriba synagogue as a heritage site, this chapter attempts to address how the building design merged local heritage and culture while responding to the island’s environment. Speci cally, how El-Ghriba was built as part of the island’s Jewish history, in uenced by the archi- tectural relationships between the synagogues and mosques and by the local climate.
Papers by Anat geva
Routledge eBooks, May 12, 2023
Edinburgh University Press eBooks, Jun 1, 2017
Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA)
Presentation given at the 2008 College of Architecture Dean's Symposium held on February 9, 2... more Presentation given at the 2008 College of Architecture Dean's Symposium held on February 9, 2008 in the Architecture Auditorium, East Architecture Building on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia. This presentation was part of Afternoon Session A: The Duomo's Legacy and Significance.
Synagogues in the Islamic World, 2017
http://faculty-new.arch.tamu.edu/ageva/ "To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into pers... more http://faculty-new.arch.tamu.edu/ageva/ "To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into perspective, and move beyond it. Without remembrance, no wound can be transcended" (Flanigan 1992: 5) This paper raises the question whether architectural design can serve or be considered as a vehicle of forgiveness. The first part of the paper describes two dominant models of forgiveness that emerged in social science (Canzoneri et al 1999). The second part of the study applies these models to a specific case study: Philip Johnson's design of Kneses Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Port Chester, NY (1956). Contingent Model of Forgiveness This model focuses on the activities of genuine repentance by the offender, which lead to the process of forgiveness. "The process of forgiveness could not/would not begin without the offender playing a leading role" (Canzoneri et al 1999, 31). From the psychological viewpoint acknowledgment of the wrongdoing by the offender is the first step to start the interactive healing process (Henderson 1996; Canzoneri et al 1999). Others stated that in addition, the offender must repent or/and compensate the victim for the loss (Robert 1995). Thus, can architecture serve as an act of compensation in the process of forgiveness? This question illustrates two modes of architectural intervention. The first relates to architecture as an act of rebuilding the destroyed city/neighborhood/building(s) that are attributed to the offender. This act serves as an acknowledgment and compensation by the offender. A review of history suggests that most of these postwar reconstructions entailed monetary compensation and were driven by political considerations. The funds help the victims to rebuild their place, but the offender leaves the design and construction to the locals. A famous example is the rebuilding of Hiroshima, Japan after the destruction of the city by the atomic bomb. America rebuilt and stabilized the Japanese economy following WWII, but was not involved in the physical design and reconstruction of the destructed city.
2In this study I examine how his design of two churches in Ticino, Switzerland addresses the diss... more 2In this study I examine how his design of two churches in Ticino, Switzerland addresses the dissonance between the stoic exteriors of the mountains and the touch of human scale inviting the worshipers to their essential solitude. I analyze Botta’s mountainous churches of the Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, built in Monte Tamaro, 1990 -1996 (Fig. 1); and the San Giovanni Battista Church, Built in Mogno, 19921998 (Fig. 2).
This paper describes the authors’ joint class project of design-build that was conducted in an in... more This paper describes the authors’ joint class project of design-build that was conducted in an interdisciplinary studio in the College of Architecture at a large Southern University during the spring semester, 1999. Students in ARCH 306, Architectural Design III, and COSC 455, Alternative Construction Delivery Systems, were joined in a studio to perform the design-build project, which was to design an ambassador’s residence for a selected country on a pre-selected site in Washington, DC. The design-build studio project provides a perfect framework in which to initiate an interdisciplinary architectural studio that responds to the recommendations of the Boyer Report – the Special Report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching – on the future of architecture education and practice. The Boyer Report lists among its seven goals the need for a “full exploitation of the interdisciplinary potential for architectural education and practice,” and “interdisciplinary connect...
simulation was used in the analysis of Brihadeshvara Hindu Temple, built in 1010 AD in Tanjore, T... more simulation was used in the analysis of Brihadeshvara Hindu Temple, built in 1010 AD in Tanjore, Tamilnadu, India. This sacred monument, listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, is an intriguing case study since the treatment of the ‘holy light’ in the temple is actually the treatment of the ‘holy darkness’. The simulated values were compared to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) standards for ‘public places with dark surroundings’. This qualitative comparison corroborated
The paper demonstrates the utility of digital models and simulations in the study of light in sac... more The paper demonstrates the utility of digital models and simulations in the study of light in sacred architecture. Specifically, it applied this method and analyses on Frank Lloyd Wright’s treatment of light in Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois (1905). The findings of the light simulations augmented the observation and qualitative analyses of Wright’s lighting design and show that his treatment of light fulfilled the accentuated, architectural, and celebration lighting recommendations of IES, while the task lighting of reading was partially fulfilled. Still, Wright’s original design provided the dramatic effect of light and shadows and enhanced the spiritual experience in the Temple.
Journal of Construction Education, 2001
International Journal of Islamic Architecture, 2015
The history of the Jewish diaspora in Tunisia is considered to begin in 586 bce when Jews settled... more The history of the Jewish diaspora in Tunisia is considered to begin in 586 bce when Jews settled in Djerba following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.1 Long before the Muslims conquered North Africa, the Jews and Phoenicians had established a home in Ifriquia, now known as Tunisia.2 Until the major migration to Israel and France in the 1950s, the island of Djerba was home to the largest Jewish community in Tunisia, followed by the mainland cities of Gabes and Tunis.3 Other Tunisian Jewish communities were scattered around the country, mainly in the south.4
Djerbian society is a heterogeneous and composite one, in which different races and religions coexist. It is even referred to by mainland Tunisians as “the island of minorities.” Despite this diver- sity, a uni ed Djerbian identity has always been apparent. Unlike on the mainland, the coexistence of Jews and Muslims served as an inspiration in the construction of the island’s synagogues.
The exceptional collection of more than twenty synagogues on the island attested to this coexist- ence and the paramount role that religion and ritual played amongst Djerbian Jewry. The continu- ous emigration of Djerba’s Jewish population during the second half of the twentieth century, as well as the precarious state of some of these synagogues, has left most of them abandoned. Today, only eleven synagogues function in one of the two Jewish villages on the island, with ve in the other, serving mostly as places of study (yeshivot).5 The most signi cant synagogue in Djerba is the El-Ghriba, the oldest synagogue in North Africa6 that uni ed Jews and Muslims and serves as a national landmark. 7
Focusing on the El-Ghriba synagogue as a heritage site, this chapter attempts to address how the building design merged local heritage and culture while responding to the island’s environment. Speci cally, how El-Ghriba was built as part of the island’s Jewish history, in uenced by the archi- tectural relationships between the synagogues and mosques and by the local climate.
Routledge eBooks, May 12, 2023
Edinburgh University Press eBooks, Jun 1, 2017
Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA)
Presentation given at the 2008 College of Architecture Dean's Symposium held on February 9, 2... more Presentation given at the 2008 College of Architecture Dean's Symposium held on February 9, 2008 in the Architecture Auditorium, East Architecture Building on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia. This presentation was part of Afternoon Session A: The Duomo's Legacy and Significance.
Synagogues in the Islamic World, 2017
http://faculty-new.arch.tamu.edu/ageva/ "To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into pers... more http://faculty-new.arch.tamu.edu/ageva/ "To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into perspective, and move beyond it. Without remembrance, no wound can be transcended" (Flanigan 1992: 5) This paper raises the question whether architectural design can serve or be considered as a vehicle of forgiveness. The first part of the paper describes two dominant models of forgiveness that emerged in social science (Canzoneri et al 1999). The second part of the study applies these models to a specific case study: Philip Johnson's design of Kneses Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Port Chester, NY (1956). Contingent Model of Forgiveness This model focuses on the activities of genuine repentance by the offender, which lead to the process of forgiveness. "The process of forgiveness could not/would not begin without the offender playing a leading role" (Canzoneri et al 1999, 31). From the psychological viewpoint acknowledgment of the wrongdoing by the offender is the first step to start the interactive healing process (Henderson 1996; Canzoneri et al 1999). Others stated that in addition, the offender must repent or/and compensate the victim for the loss (Robert 1995). Thus, can architecture serve as an act of compensation in the process of forgiveness? This question illustrates two modes of architectural intervention. The first relates to architecture as an act of rebuilding the destroyed city/neighborhood/building(s) that are attributed to the offender. This act serves as an acknowledgment and compensation by the offender. A review of history suggests that most of these postwar reconstructions entailed monetary compensation and were driven by political considerations. The funds help the victims to rebuild their place, but the offender leaves the design and construction to the locals. A famous example is the rebuilding of Hiroshima, Japan after the destruction of the city by the atomic bomb. America rebuilt and stabilized the Japanese economy following WWII, but was not involved in the physical design and reconstruction of the destructed city.
2In this study I examine how his design of two churches in Ticino, Switzerland addresses the diss... more 2In this study I examine how his design of two churches in Ticino, Switzerland addresses the dissonance between the stoic exteriors of the mountains and the touch of human scale inviting the worshipers to their essential solitude. I analyze Botta’s mountainous churches of the Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, built in Monte Tamaro, 1990 -1996 (Fig. 1); and the San Giovanni Battista Church, Built in Mogno, 19921998 (Fig. 2).
This paper describes the authors’ joint class project of design-build that was conducted in an in... more This paper describes the authors’ joint class project of design-build that was conducted in an interdisciplinary studio in the College of Architecture at a large Southern University during the spring semester, 1999. Students in ARCH 306, Architectural Design III, and COSC 455, Alternative Construction Delivery Systems, were joined in a studio to perform the design-build project, which was to design an ambassador’s residence for a selected country on a pre-selected site in Washington, DC. The design-build studio project provides a perfect framework in which to initiate an interdisciplinary architectural studio that responds to the recommendations of the Boyer Report – the Special Report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching – on the future of architecture education and practice. The Boyer Report lists among its seven goals the need for a “full exploitation of the interdisciplinary potential for architectural education and practice,” and “interdisciplinary connect...
simulation was used in the analysis of Brihadeshvara Hindu Temple, built in 1010 AD in Tanjore, T... more simulation was used in the analysis of Brihadeshvara Hindu Temple, built in 1010 AD in Tanjore, Tamilnadu, India. This sacred monument, listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, is an intriguing case study since the treatment of the ‘holy light’ in the temple is actually the treatment of the ‘holy darkness’. The simulated values were compared to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) standards for ‘public places with dark surroundings’. This qualitative comparison corroborated
The paper demonstrates the utility of digital models and simulations in the study of light in sac... more The paper demonstrates the utility of digital models and simulations in the study of light in sacred architecture. Specifically, it applied this method and analyses on Frank Lloyd Wright’s treatment of light in Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois (1905). The findings of the light simulations augmented the observation and qualitative analyses of Wright’s lighting design and show that his treatment of light fulfilled the accentuated, architectural, and celebration lighting recommendations of IES, while the task lighting of reading was partially fulfilled. Still, Wright’s original design provided the dramatic effect of light and shadows and enhanced the spiritual experience in the Temple.
Journal of Construction Education, 2001
International Journal of Islamic Architecture, 2015