Presenter: Blake Gneiting
Authors: Blake Gneiting
Faculty Advisor: Brandon Ro
Institution: Utah Valley University
Beit Lehi is an active archaeological site in Israel southwest of Jerusalem. The site dates to 800 B.C when it is believed the area was first settled as part of the Kingdom of Judah. Small scale excavations began in the early 1980’s however the site soon after lay dormant for nearly two decades. The excavation of Beit Lehi resumed in 2005 and continues with generous support from the Beit Lehi Foundation and the mapping and surveying department at Utah Valley University. As continual excavation has occurred on the site, the Beit Lehi Foundation has been looking for ways to safely share the site with visitors, increase the numbers of visitors, while protecting and preserving the cultural treasures discovered on site. This creative project shows my design idea for a visitor center on the Beit Lehi site in order to create a way to bring more visitors to the site, protect and preserve Beit Lehi discoveries and artifacts while giving visitors a safe and enjoyable experience. This poster presentation includes different views and plans of the proposed visitor center showing how it may be a solution to the previously proposed items. Firstly, the site plan addresses where on the Beit Lehi site the visitor center would be located and how the circulation would work on the site. Next, are exterior elevations and a larger exterior perspective view of the building showing the external form and massing of the proposed visitor center. The building sections show the structure and some interior details while the floor plan and diagrams display the overall massing, circulation and program of the proposed building. Lastly, the interior perspectives display the internal user experience of the visitor center and highlight some of the interior details of the building.