06.10.2011                      08.Tischrei. 5772

Bücher:

Environment / From utopia to suburbia

It's easy to eulogize the kibbutz, but could it still create a unique spatial reality, asks the author of a new history of kibbutz planning and architecture.

Maybe the electric kettle is the culprit – the trigger that set off the cascade of changes culminating in the privatization of the kibbutz.
The arrival of the electric kettle in the kibbutznik's room in the 1950s was the first crack in the image of the kibbutz and a warning of what was to come.
"This small, legendary home appliance transformed a sink and countertop into a kitchenette. Over time, a mini-fridge, cabinet and countertop stove were added to it and eventually the little kitchenette became a full-fledged kitchen that addressed the desire of kibbutzniks to prepare [food] for themselves according to their tastes and at a time of their choosing." In the wake of this development, writes architect Freddy Kahana in his new book "Lo Ir, Lo Kfar," (Not a City, Not a Village ) about kibbutz architecture and planning, "the kibbutz shop, grocery and apartment began to expand to accommodate the need for a 'dinette.'…