Slit / Expansion

Oren Eldar, Edith Kofsky, 2009-2010

Slit / Expansion – a wall plug in the motherboard

Informal setting of boundaries according to aged traditions and agreements between residents—as seen in the Kadum valley in Jabal Mukaber—generates a situation that must be addressed by the planning authorities. Although according to law statutory planning authorities are authorized to consfiscate 40% of any plot for public needs, a deeper examination would show that considerable sections have already been allotted throughout the years by the plots owners, for both private and public use.
These allocations along the dividing line between the various ownerships created “dents” in the area, serving today as access paths to the residents’ homes as well as shortcuts for the rest of the inhabitants. We wish to turn these “dents” into “expansion dents”—a term
borrowed from technological terminology (literally sockets in the computer mother-board for inserting various cards to upgrade the computer). The result is that the original reduction of the property in fact creates an opportunity for expansion. These “expansion dents” in the site, according to our concept, can serve simultaneously as a basis for expanding residential space and commerce of the land owners and as infrastructure for public development.
Slit / Expansion Presentation