Olive Oil and Bottle Wash Factory; Market and Base for International Volunteers in Qalqilia, The Palestinian Territories
The construction of the separation wall in the Palestinian territories has impacted enormously on the day-to-day lives of Palestinians in Qalqilia. Once described as ‘The West Bank’s Fruit Basket,’ serving Israel and the West Bank as an affluent market town, the people of Qulqilia are now cut off from their land, schools, universities, places of work, medical care, friends and family
The negative chain reaction that has resulted from the construction of the wall can be seen in the sharp rise in unemployment, shop closures, shrinking market size, and reduced fruit and vegetable prices
My initial exploration work included tracing the companies involved in constructing the barriers, and documenting the structures and defence mechanisms. As a result and conclusion to my initial research, a number deceives were designed which represent my research of the structures and the attributes I attached to the disruptions
The construction process of my proposed building begins with tapping into an existing artesian well in Qalqilia. Natural resources will be used wherever possible as a reaction to the unpredictability of power supply in the West Bank
Two concrete walls are constructed on the site in front of the existing separation wall. The walls act as a divide between the process of selling goods, making olive oil and washing bottles, and the waste created by the factories and the delivery of goods, olives and used bottles
The accommodation, laundry, and communal block are temporary. The structures can be moved to other destinations in the West Bank or other countries where an international presence could benefit areas of conflict
The concrete wall uses Palestinian earth and crushed rubble from demolished houses for the aggregate. The factories and market are permanent buildings and act as a legacy, eventually serving the surrounding Israeli towns and West Bank as a market when the international volunteers are relocated, in the event of an end to the occupatio
