Master's Program in Urban Design (M.Urb.Des)
התכנית לתואר שני בעיצוב אורבני
برنامج اللقب الثاني في التصميم الحضري

Prof. Els Verbakel is a founding partner of Derman Verbakel Architecture and Head of the School of Architecture at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem. She was a faculty member at the Technion in Haifa, Columbia University, NYC, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and Princeton University, New Jersey. Els has earned her PhD in Architecture from Princeton University, a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, and a Graduate Degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture from the University of Leuven, Belgium. She served as the editor of two books: “In Search of the Public. Notes on the Contemporary American City” and “Constellations: Constructing Urban Design Practices” as well as the Architectural Design (AD) Magazine on the theme “Cities of Dispersal.”
Erez Ella was born in Jerusalem in 1971 and studied Architecture at the Tel Aviv University and the TU Delft in the Netherlands.
Erez founded HQ architects in Tel Aviv in 2008 after spending several years as an Associate at OMA, Rotterdam, and as Principal at REX, NY.
From Tel Aviv, Erez leads HQ Architects’ design work of more than 35 architects, executing projects in Israel and around the globe, various in scale and program. HQ Architects exhibit an expanding portfolio of work, including public spaces and urban infrastructure, a wide range of cultural and educational projects as well as offices, hotels and retail projects.
Recently, the practice’s ability to rethink and challenge conventions led it to be part of US-Israeli team for NASA challenge “Habitat on Mars” - a challenge to
establish a 3D printed habitat for future astronauts on Mars.
Erez’s involvement extends beyond the world of architectural design. He co- curated the Israeli Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennial of Architecture, and isthe co-editor in chief of the architectural book titled “Aircraft Carrier - American Ideas and Israeli Architectures after 1973” (Hajte Cantz, 2012).
In 2011, Erez established the ‘Mechanism of Design and Urbanism’ research unit at the Bezalel School of Architecture. Today he is leading and mentoring the 5th year students' graduation projects.
He is also a member of the ‘Jerusalem Season of Culture’ board of directors since 2012
Photo Gallery
An Architect in practice and in academia with vast knowledge and experience in Architecture and Urban Design.
Noa has been a lecturer for over a decade in the Architecture department and is also currently the academic coordinator of the master’s degree in Urban Design. She was in charged of “Tempus” program, a European program for higher education.
Noa holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the "de la ville et des territoires" school in Paris, which was then followed by several years of international practice experience both in France and New-York. Abroad Noa has worked on a variety of scales, from the MDU – Mobile Dwelling Unit, which was exhibited in the Whitney museum in NY, to a large public realm in the French city of Rennes. Back in Israel, Noa has worked on some of Israel’s most significant regeneration projects, such as central Netanya and the new development of North-West Tel Aviv.
Since 2010 Noa has her own practice and is also a senior consultant to the Jerusalem Planning Authority overseeing some of their major projects such as the new Entrance to Jerusalem Masterplan.

Prof. Dr. Zvi Efrat, Architect and Architectural Historian, is partner at Efrat-Kowalsky Architects (EKA) and was Head of the Department of Architecture at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem (2002-2010). He holds B.Arch. from Pratt Institute, MA. In Cinema Studies from NYU and PhD. In Architectural History and Theory from Princeton University. He has taught and lectured worldwide, published extensively and curated numerous exhibitions.
His book, The Israeli Project: Building and Architecture 1948-1973, was published in Hebrew in 2004 by the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. His book The Object of Zionism, The Architecture of Israel was published by Spector Books, Leipzig, in 2018.
Among the recent projects of Efrat-Kowalsky Architects (EKA): Performing Arts Campus in Jerusalem: The Israel Museum in Jerusalem (renewal and expansion); City Museum of Tel Aviv (preservation and new additions): The Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art; The Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Tamar Berger, Senior Lecturer, The Department of Architecture, the Urban Design Master's Degree Program, Oman - the Heredi Extension and the Visual & Material Culture Department. Teaches and writes on issues of space, space and culture, urbanity and modernity in general in the Israel context. Her books: "Dionysus at Dizengof Centre" (Hakibbutz Hameuchad), "Issues in the Theory of Space" (The Open University), "In the Space Between World and Toy" (Resling) and "Autotopia" (Hakibbutz Hameuchad). More articles, essays and travelogues at www.tamarberger.com.