Island of Calm — Healing Farm
About the project
Facing the quiet power of the desert landscape in the Judean Desert, near the community of Nofei Prat, the "Island of Calm — Healing Farm" is being established — a resilience farm intended to serve as an anchor and a safe space. Initiated by Or Asayag and Shibi Cohen Arzi, the project was born out of a sense of mission and a national need to provide a fitting, embracing response for thousands of combatants and their families who have experienced the trauma of war and need a place where they can pause, breathe, and heal.
Designed in collaboration with landscape architect Tzofia Jacob.
The core principles behind the project's design
Therapeutic Architecture
The core of the design is grounded in the principles of the salutogenic approach — architecture that actively sets out to promote health, mental well-being and the building of inner resilience. Every element and space in the project was designed to reduce stress and instill a sense of security, calm and control. As part of this, an utmost and uncompromising emphasis was placed on complete accessibility, ensuring that every person can move through the space independently, with dignity, and without any physical or sensory barrier.
Architecture Woven into Nature
Spanning 11 dunams, the project was designed with reverence for the desert environment. In close collaboration with landscape architect Tzofia Jacob, we created a design in which the built form grows out of the local topography and blends into it harmoniously. The architecture does not impose itself on the mountain, but rather holds a special dialogue with it. The local, natural materiality blurs the boundaries between the buildings and the landscape, allowing the desert serenity to permeate the interior spaces and become an integral part of the healing process.