Aviv Ellenbogen

Aviv graduated in 1997 from the Bezalel Academy for Arts and Design. He worked as an Associate Architect at several leading Israeli firms, and joined Yashar with eight years of professional experience. Aviv has been a partner at Yashar Architects since 2005.

Expertise

Aviv's main expertise is the design of residential projects, featuring many varied configurations: high-rise tower blocks as well as lower buildings, seamlessly compatible with the urban texture, housing complexes, neighborhoods and housing-related urban planning schemes. He believes that as the real-estate sector is progressing toward urban renewal and rebuilding, the future of the firm will persist with its attention to city centers and its flexibility in adapting to new realities.

With two generations of accumulative experience and expertise at Yashar Architects, Aviv takes pride in the fact that this expertise is directed at creativity rather than repetitive design schemes. Every project gets a fresh start, each design a new endeavor, without relying on a "design bank". The challenge is to generate practical architecture for residential buildings, a place for people to start and end each day in the comforts of home, rather than in architectural showcases; and yet, throughout, a spirit of place and belonging must be sustained in the design. Aviv equates the complex design process to an organic body or machine. All aspects must be attended to wisely and carefully, in concert and without losing direction.

Favorite Projects

Aviv thinks we must intensify urbanism and densify mixed-use, community-based city centers and enliven our urban history, ensuring it does not dissipate. There is a spark in his eye as he mention projects such as the Wholesale Market Project, a huge compound with a great extent of mixed-uses, including a park, 800 housing units, kindergarten, parking and an array of urban services; the Bezalel Market Project, turning a neglected area into an accessible urban center, with commercial units, housing, a beautiful urban square and underground parking; and a project in Salame, Jaffa, that preserves historic buildings with an adjacent residential compound, turning a derelict parking lot into a pleasant area of urban recreation.

International Inspiration

Aviv draws inspiration from two main role models, who both practice vernacular architecture, drawing their inspiration from the locations in which they work: Alvaro Siza, A Portuguese architect and Antoine Predock from New Mexico, USA. Vernacular architecture attempts to generate unique, place-based design aesthetics, defying the predominant contemporary Westernization approach, which is commonly understood as sky-scraper modernization. Aviv relates to the deeper essence emanating from the work of these architects, their modest styles that foster relationships between their buildings and the land on which they are built.