One of Israel's most influential architectural firms is marking a major milestone with a comprehensive exhibition showcasing 40 years of groundbreaking design work. Kimmel Eshkolot Architects has launched "Kimmel Eshkolot – 40 Years of Creation," a retrospective exhibition that spans four decades of projects ranging from large-scale urban planning initiatives to intimate interior designs. The exhibition is uniquely housed within the Start-Up Nation Central building in Tel Aviv, whose interiors were designed and planned by the firm itself.
Founded in 1986 by husband-and-wife team Etan Kimmel and Michal Kimmel Eshkolot, the architectural firm has built a reputation for its unwavering commitment to public and cultural projects. Over the past four decades, they have consistently treated every building as an integral part of the public realm, with careful attention to urban planning and designs that thoughtfully respond to both context and community needs. The firm's philosophy centers on creating spaces where people and cities naturally intersect and interact.
The current retrospective exhibition features 40 carefully selected projects that demonstrate the firm's diverse expertise and vision. Rather than creating a traditional gallery space, the partners intentionally integrated the exhibition throughout their actual workspace, making it a living, breathing showcase of their design philosophy. "We want to bring architecture in general to the public eye," Etan explains. "This is really important because architecture touches everyone's lives. It's the most physical, direct form of culture."
Michal emphasizes the firm's core belief that buildings must actively engage with their environment rather than simply occupying space. "When a building comes into its environment," she explains, "it has to think how to improve it, how to generate relationships with its neighbors, how to connect spaces." This philosophy is clearly demonstrated in one of their most celebrated projects, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv. The innovative building appears to hover above ground level, functioning as both an architectural landmark and a practical gateway to the nearby botanical gardens.
The Steinhardt Museum exemplifies the firm's approach to urban connectivity. Michal describes the structure as "a passage, a functional and symbolic axis linking previously disconnected urban areas." This project showcases how thoughtful architectural design can serve multiple purposes: housing important cultural institutions while simultaneously improving urban flow and accessibility.
A significant portion of Kimmel Eshkolot's work involves the delicate task of negotiating historic contexts while meeting contemporary needs. Their transformation of the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem stands as a prime example of this expertise. The partners successfully converted a medieval fortress – "a structure that absolutely does not want to be inviting," as they describe it – into a vibrant and accessible modern museum. Their solution involved placing much of the new programming underground, carefully preserving views of the ancient walls while adding new entrance pavilions, exhibition spaces, and essential visitor amenities.
The firm's interventions in historic settings are characterized by subtlety and intentionality. They consistently blend old and new elements in ways that respect historical memory while significantly enhancing accessibility for contemporary visitors. This approach requires not only technical skill but also deep cultural sensitivity and understanding of historical significance.
Time, patience, and long-term vision form the cornerstone of Kimmel Eshkolot's professional approach. "Some of our projects began more than 20 years ago, and their realization only comes gradually," Michal notes. Urban planning projects, in particular, demand exceptional persistence and commitment, as a comprehensive plan laid out today may take decades to fully materialize and reach its intended impact.
This long-term perspective is thoughtfully embedded throughout "40 Years of Creation." Exhibition visitors encounter an engaging time capsule installation alongside a detailed timeline that traces the firm's trajectory from its founding in 1985-86 well into the coming decades. Rather than creating a static gallery experience, Kimmel Eshkolot conceived the entire exhibition as a dynamic, living event that continues to evolve.
The partners made a deliberate decision to forgo a traditional printed catalog in favor of a completely relocatable, free-standing display system. After its inaugural weekend presentation, the entire exhibition will move to the new gallery space of the Israeli Architects Association at the Rishon LeZion Winery, demonstrating their commitment to making architecture accessible to broader audiences.
Both Etan and Michal are graduates of the prestigious Technion, completing their studies in 1985. They built their architectural practice together from the ground up and have maintained a remarkably consistent shared vision throughout four decades of collaborative work. Their partnership extends beyond professional collaboration to encompass a unified approach to architecture's role in society.
As Kimmel Eshkolot Architects reaches this significant 40-year milestone, their work serves as a powerful reminder that architecture's greatest contribution may well be its unique ability to connect people, history, and place in ways that are both quiet and deliberate, yet possess enduring cultural purpose and significance.
The exhibition "Kimmel Eshkolot – 40 Years of Creation" is being held at Startup Nation Central, located at 28 Lilienblum Street in Tel Aviv. The exhibition runs November 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and November 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering the public a rare opportunity to experience four decades of architectural innovation and urban design excellence.
