Be'er Sheva Craft District
Master Planning - Avi Laiser Architecture
Project overview
The HaMelacha Quarter is a district scale master plan designed as a direct continuation of the historic Ottoman era urban fabric, the project spans approximately 55 acres and introduces a mixed use planning framework that integrates residential, commercial, employment, and tourism programs.
The plan follows the scale and structure of the Old City’s urban blocks while accommodating higher density development. Courtyard based mixed use housing, shaded streets, pocket gardens, and a connected network of pedestrian and bicycle paths form the backbone of the district and link it to the river promenade.
Location
Be’er Sheva
Tool
Planary
Status
Approved in 2025
Planning award recipient
Planning Context and Design Approach
The project required managing a high level of complexity at a district scale. The planning team needed to balance increased density with historic continuity, climate responsive design, and public realm quality across a large and varied site.
Existing industrial structures were evaluated for adaptive reuse, while new development was carefully integrated to preserve block scale and urban grain. Green public spaces, shaded circulation routes, and new bridges were introduced to strengthen connections between the riverfront and adjacent neighborhoods.
How Planary Helped
Working at a district scale, the planning team used Planary to iterate 3D massing options while continuously tracking project metrics across the entire site. This made it possible to test different density distributions, block configurations, and program mixes while maintaining a clear understanding of their quantitative impact.
As massing options evolved, Planary provided immediate feedback on key metrics, allowing alternatives to be compared and refined in real time. This reduced reliance on disconnected spreadsheets and manual calculations, which are difficult to manage at this scale.
By keeping geometry, data, and iteration connected in one environment, Planary helped the team manage the complexity of a large scale mixed use district and move confidently toward an approved and award winning master plan.
Renderings by 3DBruck