Typology Forest Activity Center

location. Lahav Forest, Israel

Area 13,000 sqm

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The Joe Alon Center is conceived as an extension of the landscape rather than an object placed within it. Set across a 13,000-square-meter wooded hillside with an elevation change of approximately 17 meters, the project embraces the site's existing topography, allowing the terrain itself to shape the spatial experience.

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Instead of reshaping the land, the design works with it. A continuous network of accessible pathways follows the natural contours of the hillside, gently connecting every part of the site while revealing an ever-changing sequence of views, clearings, and gathering spaces. Movement through the landscape becomes an experience in itself—one that unfolds gradually through the forest and towards the open horizons beyond.

The project's defining element is the Rahot—a family of timber pavilions inspired by traditional desert shade structures. Carefully positioned along the paths, each pavilion frames a different landscape, creating moments of pause, orientation, and gathering. Together they establish a hierarchy of outdoor rooms, accommodating activities that range from intimate encounters to larger communal events while maintaining a constant dialogue with the surrounding landscape.

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Respect for the site's natural and cultural heritage guided every stage of the design. Existing archaeological remains were carefully preserved and integrated into the circulation network, allowing visitors to encounter layers of history as part of their journey through the site. Mature woodland was retained wherever possible, while extensive planting of native trees and local vegetation strengthens ecological continuity, enriches biodiversity, and reinforces the site's identity within the Lahav Forest landscape.

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Designed as a flexible outdoor environment, the center supports a diverse range of educational, recreational, and cultural programs throughout the year. Forest classrooms, scouting activities, camping areas, outdoor learning spaces, and nature play are interwoven with open-air venues for concerts, cultural performances, community gatherings, and Friday evening celebrations. The landscape itself becomes the primary public space—adaptable, resilient, and deeply connected to its setting.

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Rather than defining a single destination, the project creates a sequence of places. It invites visitors to walk, pause, gather, and rediscover the relationship between landscape, culture, and community through an experience that is both rooted in place and open to change.