The building: The Palmach History Museum
Location: Tel- Aviv
Building Year: 1999
Architect: Zvi Hecker & Rafi Segal
Structural Engineers: Winetraub-Naginski- Zeldin
Project coordinator: Micha Peri
Landscape & Garden Architecture: Tichnun Nof Landscape Architects

Palmach was a special unit of the Hagana – the military organization of the Jewish state to be during the British Mandate in Palestine (1941-1948). Palmach members also fought in the War of Independence before being incorporated into the Israeli Defense Force, and they became a symbol of the Israeli ethos. The Palmach History Museum was founded by the organization of Palmach veterans; it includes a theater, an education center, offices and a space of commemoration. The plan for the building was dictated by the nature and limitations of the site, and the building was designed as a series of walls that advance in accordance with the topography. The walls also serve as layered screens that conceal and reveal the group of Eucalyptus and Pine trees that still grow on the site. Much effort was invested in preserving the trees, which became part of the buildings’ inner courtyard and a symbol of the desire to preserve the landscape. The building was constructed using local materials – including sandstone, which is directly related to the ground upon which the Museum was built.