Preservation and Renewal
: Bauhaus and International Style in Tel Aviv

The city of Tel Aviv today has one of the largest concentrations of International Style buildings in the world. The immigration of numerous architects in the early 1930s, many of whom were from Germany, as well as the return of Israeli architects who had studied architecture in Europe, led to a drastic change in architectural style in Tel Aviv from eclectic to modern. In the late 1970s, legal procedures created the conditions for the professional preservation of Bauhaus buildings. Based on a joint project of the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Israeli Ministry of Housing, construction plans were drawn up for the city center that included special measures to prevent the destruction of the Bauhaus buildings and urban form designated for preservation, in addition to improvements to transportation and infrastructure systems.

Through a representative selection of 25 buildings in different stages of preservation, the exhibition presents the results of this long-term project. In addition, it highlights a selection of conservation and environmental solutions, including the use of new building materials and advanced technologies.