Page 20 - C.A.L.L. #34 - Winter 2011/2012

From utopia to suburbia

It's easy to eulogize the kibbutz, but
could it still create a unique spatial
reality, asks the author of a new history
of kibbutz planning and architecture.
By Esther Zandberg (06.10.11)

Maybe the electric kettle is the culprit - the trigger that set off the cascade of
changes culminating in the privatization of the kibbutz.
The arrival of the electric kettle in the kibbutznik's room in the 1950s was the first
crack in the image of the kibbutz and a warning of what was to come.
"This small, legendary home appliance transformed a sink and countertop into a
kitchenette. Over time, a mini-fridge, cabinet and countertop stove were added to it
and eventually the little kitchenette became a full-fledged kitchen that addressed

the desire of kibbutzniks to prepare [food] for themselves according to their tastes
and at a time of their choosing." In the wake of this development, writes architect
Freddy Kahana in his new book "Lo Ir, Lo Kfar," (Not a City, Not a Village ) about
kibbutz architecture and planning,
"the kibbutz shop, grocery and
apartment began to expand to
accommodate the need for a
'dinette.' Later on, with the
downsizing of the dining hall services,

the kibbutz apartment with its own
kitchen was prepared to address the
needs of the new reality." The next
steps, the transition to children
staying in their parents' homes (and Kibbutz Mizra Dining Room
not in the kibbutz children's house )
and self-service in the dining room improved kibbutzniks' quality of life but gradually
weakened the role of the dining hall, "the main collective space" on the kibbutz.
The dramatic process of the privatization of most of kibbutz life, from
manufacturing, to salaries, and consumption was just a matter of time and created a
different kind of kibbutz: "the reinvented kibbutz" with differential salaries,
ownership, private cars, new housing projects in a separate neighborhood and a move

from collective, equal planning, to planning tailored to the new, privatized needs. The
face of the community that was the kibbutz, writes Kahana, is changing and becoming
unrecognizable. "The era of being unique is over, and a new social and spatial reality is
emerging, one that is suburb-like."
Kahana's book is presented as a complete bible, as befits a life's work. Its pages
present a full picture of the physical expression of the kibbutz concept in all its
details, from the planning of the total kibbutz space, to the different kinds of
kibbutzim, the iconic public buildings, and the individual living quarters, the
arguments that accompanied every stage in its life, and the architectural
representations of the changes and upheavals. The book summarizes archival