(continued)

Today, total equality as an absolute principle is all but extinct. Kibbutzim generally strive to provide equal services to members, in areas of food, health care, and education. But there is little control over the chief source of inequality: members' private income which might stem, for example, from an inheritance.

Ideals Manifest in Housing

The concept of egalitarianism was expressed in housing through uniformity, regardless of individual needs. Says Tel Aviv architect Nili Portugali: "The construction of living quarters was perhaps the last fortress of the old egalitarian concept, which, now more than ever, needs to be changed." Portugali has proceeded, on one plot, on one kibbutz, to do just that.

In the traditional concept, the members' living quarters were built according to static patterns with identical outward appearances, without regard to topographical differences within the landscape. The direction of the sun and the various views of the landscape from different angles were not considered in the planning.

"What is meant in good faith to create outward equality," states Portugali, "in fact contributes to inequality between the members' opportunities and quality of life."

"On the drawing board, the windows of these flats are similar in all the houses. But in reality, one house looks toward a fruit orchard, another toward the stable. This static attitude in which the environmental context is disregarded in the planning can have devastating consequences."

For instance, houses in the Negev Desert are built the same as those in green Galilee. Houses built in rainy areas with shingle roofs have become models for houses in arid areas where such roofs are climatically inappropriate. "All this in the name of equality," says Portugali.

Moreover, she says, the way decisions are made today about building in kibbutzim does not permit a real participation of the potential occupants. "Decisions are made by committees; they are not necessarily based on professional considerations."

Portugali continues: "In the end, the damage is borne both by the residents and the kibbutz as a whole. The feeling of alienation by the residents toward the process which preceded their entry into their houses causes frustration to the point where minor choices in the internal appointment of the rooms turn into major points of contention."

Maagan Michael

Such a situation occurs in a number of kibbutzim. Maagan Michael ("Michael's port") is no exception. Located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Haifa and 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Tel Aviv, the kibbutz was established in 1949.

The founders were of two youth groups — one from the Israeli scout movement and the other a German group whose members had escaped from the Nazi Holocaust. Today Maagan Michael is home to some 1300, of whom one third are children. In April 1999, Maagan Michael took in 111 Albanian Moslem refugees from Kosovo.

Fish ponds, cotton, citrus, banana, avocados, cows, and poultry, together with a highly successful factory that manufactures and exports plastic products, constitute the kibbutz's livelihood. For leisure activities, the members of Maagan Michael have a swimming pool, sailboats, a tennis court, soccer field, and basketball hall.

"Each physical plan," says Portugali, "should offer suitable expression to the social, environmental, and economic structure of the place where the houses are built. Because in order to create real equality of needs and opportunities among the kibbutz members, one must approach planning in a dynamic way."

"The desired effect will not result from having an outward standard identity, but rather from qualitative equality," Portugali continues. "This can be achieved by a dynamic working process different from that of today if the house is a mirror of the physical and social factors. And this ought to be the result of the balance between the forces that exist in a particular kibbutz, taking into account that these change from place to place."

A New Model for Kibbutz Dwellings

In a new seafront neighborhood in Maagan Michael facing the Mediterranean and completed in May 2001, Portugali says she tried to introduce a new model: each house was planned in relation to the priorities of the individual users and was a product of the forces acting on each specific lot.

During the on-site design process, Portugali examined the exact angle and eye level at each lot in relation to the sea. "On that basis were decided the floor levels and positions of the different houses," she explains. "At the same time, we maintained a constant architectural language and budget." In the first phase, 13 of 22 units in the seafront neighborhood have been completed and are occupied.

There are two types of dwellings, with slight internal changes and a different location for the house entrance. Each house has a ground floor of 1080 square feet (100 square meters) and an upper floor measuring 645 square feet (60 square meters).

Nadav Cohen, a long-standing member of Maagan Michael, which he proudly calls "the biggest kibbutz in the world," lives with his wife and four children in one of the new houses. "These are the most beautiful houses ever built in our kibbutz. I love our new home and feel great in it."

Cohen, who is a youth counselor for after-school activities, lived and worked for some years in San Francisco and knows about gracious living. "I particularly like the colors of the house — light beige and light green — and the arches that frame the doors. I also like the big picture window with our great view."

But the window, he complains, is the reason there is only one wall in the living room, and that is not enough for placing the furniture. He reveals that there is an endless list of people who have signed up for a similar house, which means, he says, that there will be building activity in the kibbutz for many years to come.

Lili Eylon is a freelance writer based in Jerusalem and a contributing editor to ArchitectureWeek.

The new houses in Kibbutz Maagan Michael were individually sited to take best advantage of topography and view. Photo: Amit Geron Site plan of the new seafront neighborhood of Maagan Michael. Image: Nili Portugali The houses, despite variations, maintained a constant architectural vocabulary. Photo: Amit Geron Materials and orientation were selected with sensitivity to climate. Photo: Amit Geron Views of the sea delight new homeowners. Photo: Amit Geron First floor plan of a "Unit "A" house of Maagan Michael. Image: Nili Portugali First floor plan of a "Unit B" house of Maagan Michael. Image: Nili Portugali Clustered, communal life has changed in architectural character since the first Israeli kibbutzim. Photo: Amit Geron   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.