Liquid Stone

Led by: Arch Osnat Tadmor and Arch Omer Canani, Studio 6/8, School of Architecture, Bezalel, Semester B, 2026.

Exhibition Curation and Design: Arch. Noam Sar Shalom, Liebling Haus

No construction material is more closely tied to the Israeli building enterprise than concrete. Since the early days of the state, it has served as a central tool in realizing ideologies of development and innovation, while establishing a permanent presence on the land. The Israeli concrete economy gains unique momentum and a tailwind during times of security instability, driven by an ever-increasing demand for sheltering, protection, and fortification. Israel has an extraordinary concentration, both in scale and quality, of buildings where concrete stands at the base of their concept and ideology. By learning about the history of these buildings and the cultural, political, and social background from which they emerged, one can trace the spirit of the time that shaped them. Re-reading their stories often reveals the cracks, both physical and conceptual, that the years have left in the material and the meanings tied to it.

Concrete is also called "liquid stone" because of its ability to be shaped in a mold and harden into a solid mass. While its first use dates back to the Roman Empire, the widespread use of concrete began with the Industrial Revolution. The modernist avant-garde linked it to formal freedom and technological progress, and it later became connected to the post-WWII era of mass production and reproduction. Since then, concrete has become a central material in the built environment, present in almost all its parts: from structural frames and envelopes to cladding, paving, and both underground and above-ground infrastructure. In recent decades, however, it has become clear that the concrete industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, responsible for about 7% of global carbon emissions, even more as the existing concrete structures now face the need to be adapted to changing climate conditions.

In an era where regional crises define our ongoing routine, architecture is called upon to act as an agent of change, holding the unique ability to offer healing within the built environment. The exhibition 'Liquid Stone' provides a look into the work of the Liquid Stone Lab studio at Bezalel, which sought to act within this opportunity. By  intervening in two masterpiece buildings: the Hatzeva Field School (Arch. Israel Goodovitch) and the House of Creation in Neve Zohar (Arch. Shmuel Mestechkin). The exhibition reveals a long research process that included historical analysis, material research, and speculative proposals for the future. The presented projects examine strategies of adaptive reuse, offering tools for taking cultural responsibility over our concrete heritage while dealing with climate challenges and redesigning the space.

The exhibition summarizes a semester-long process, presenting consolidated results that show the lab's vision. Revealing this process, which seeks to offer a new reading of the local material manifesto, invites deep observation, asking the audience to form a stance regarding Israel's complex heritage and material reality.

Liquid Stone Lab is an academic research platform dedicated to examining concrete as a cultural and environmental agent. The lab works to develop methodologies that combine natural elements and sustainable solutions within concrete components (surfaces, bodies, and elements), aiming to reconnect this complex material with contemporary reality. Its main goal is to examine the future of concrete, challenge existing perceptions, and lead a change in the ecological balance of the built environment.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of architect Israel Goodovitch, who passed away during the work on it.

Special thanks to SHAHAF PY, an Israeli technology company that develops and manufactures advanced systems for full-scale 3D concrete printing.