Hadarim Sderot | Rapid Emergency Educational Space Design

In the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023 attacks, residents of the city of Sderot were evacuated to temporary accommodations in Dead Sea hotels. This sudden displacement created an urgent need for appropriate educational facilities for children with special needs who required stable learning environments despite the emergency situation.

The “Hadarim Sderot” project, led by the RDFD group, was established within just four days. The work involved a planning marathon and an intense construction effort, which transformed a tourist facility into a functioning school with seven classrooms, kindergartens, therapy rooms, and activity areas.

The project leveraged RDFD's extensive research on educational spaces in disaster areas worldwide, as well as practical insights from a specialized Bezalel course on disaster-zone learning environments conducted two years prior to these events.

Cardboard was selected as the primary construction material for its versatility, adaptability, and inherently temporary aesthetic—qualities that aligned with the provisional nature of the facility while offering hope for an eventual return to normalcy. The team supplemented this with EchoShape material, chosen specifically for its acoustic properties that enhanced the learning environment by reducing noise and creating more soothing spaces.

The implementation involved both Bezalel students and alumni working alongside skilled craftspeople from the evacuated communities of Sderot and Be'eri. This collaborative approach fostered community ownership while ensuring the spaces were tailored to the specific requirements of both children and educational staff.

The Hadarim Sderot project demonstrates how research-informed design, innovative practical applications, and community engagement can rapidly produce effective educational environments even under extreme circumstances and tight deadlines.

This initiative was realized through collaboration between Bezalel's RDFD group, Sderot Municipality, the Israeli Ministry of Education, and the Ein Bokek Civilian Emergency Command Center.