Midtown Jerusalem is reshaping the city’s entrance
DLF Architecture presents Midtown Jerusalema mixed-use master plan located along Jaffa Street on the former site of the historic Shaare Zedek Hospital. The project reconfigures the entrance to Jerusalem through a layered urban composition which combines residential towers, political programs, commercial spaces, hotelsand public traffic networks in a single architectural framework. Located near the Chords Bridge, the development is strategically located between the downtown district, Mahane Yehuda Market, and the low-rise residential fabric of Nahlaot. The site is located along the historic corridor connecting Jerusalem to Jaffa, where the modern tram network intersects with historic urban structures and urban landmarks.
The general plan extends to approximately 250,000 sq.m. and organizes a range of public and private functions at multiple spatial scales. At ground level, a retail corridor runs through a network of alleyways, courtyards, patios, terraces and plazas. These spaces support pedestrian movement while introducing varying conditions of openness and enclosure throughout the project. Educational facilities, wellness programs, sports fields and kindergartens are distributed on the lower levels to enhance daily urban activity. Above the public base, the project incorporates office space, hospitality functions and three residential towers designed to meet LEED Platinum and AAA environmental standards. The spatial layout establishes a clear transition between the active public zones and the more private vertical structures above.
all images courtesy of DLF Architecture
DLF Architecture establishes a new urban threshold
The design strategy followed by DLF Architecture Studio negotiates between two urban systems. The lower buildings follow the irregular geometry of Jerusalem’s historic neighborhoods, continuing the fragmented street patterns and subtle urban texture that characterizes the surroundings. Instead, the towers align with the modern grid of the city, introducing a state of vertical skyline that marks the entrance to the city.
A three-dimensional circulation system responds directly to the topography of Jerusalem, allowing movement on multiple levels and connecting the various public spaces within the development. The residential towers are articulated through subtly offset and angled facade units, producing changing patterns of light, shadow and visual depth across the elevations. The project also creates a formal dialogue with the historic Shaare Zedek hospital, maintaining proportional relationships and rhythmic alignments between new and existing volumes. Rather than reproducing historical architecture, the intervention extends its spatial presence through continuity of scale and urban composition.
Materially, the facades reinterpret Jerusalem limestone through modern cladding systems and high-performance buildings. This approach ties the development to the city’s architectural identity while incorporating current environmental and construction standards. Midtown Jerusalem is positioned as both an urban threshold and an urban center, connecting historic streets, modern infrastructure, public life and high-density development within a continuous urban landscape.
Midtown Jerusalem occupies the former site of the historic Shaare Zedek Hospital
The lower volumes follow the irregular geometry of the surrounding historic neighborhoods
Residential towers rise above a multi-level network of courtyards and public terraces
hotels, offices and residential towers rise above an active citizen base
the towers align with the modern city grid, while the podium follows historic street patterns
Corner facade units create changing patterns of light and shadow on the towers
the mixed-use master plan is located along Jerusalem’s historic Jaffa Road corridor
Public circulation routes connect alleys, atriums, squares and retail spaces
