Adaptive Reuse of the Reading Fuel Tanks
Location: Tel Aviv
Designation: Public Park
Area: 94 Dunams
Stage: Competition
Invited by: Atarim Group
In collaboration with: Braudo Maoz Landscape Architecture Ltd.
The meeting point between the Yarkon River and the sea constitutes a unique urban landmark in Tel Aviv—one with a rich past and significant future potential. The rehabilitation of the riverbank, the renewal of the tank complex, the construction of a new railway station, major public buildings, and the anticipated opening of the Reading Power Station together form an exceptional spatial framework. This convergence is set to become one of the city’s most important and influential public spaces, positioning Tel Aviv among the leading coastal cities worldwide.
The proposed design envisions the site as a flexible civic infrastructure on a metropolitan scale, capable of accommodating a wide and diverse public throughout the day and night. Rather than a fixed, program-driven layout, the site functions as a Plug-In Space—an open framework for events, everyday activities, and informal public use. Emphasis is placed on local climate responsiveness rather than mechanical conditioning, on a shaded and experiential movement sequence, and on realizing the iconic potential of the tanks, which are visible from all directions.
The site is organized into three main components: the Tank Deck, the Southern Park, and the Northern Triangle. The Tank Deck is based on a sequence of existing tanks that have been converted for human use and equipped with full infrastructure to support large-scale events. Circular shading elements create a continuous shaded promenade, while terraced seating at the deck’s edge cascades toward the park, linking the urban and the landscape. The Southern Park offers a softer, greener experience, featuring rehabilitated riverbanks, open pathways, a controlled flood basin, and a bridge that highlights the site’s topography. The Northern Triangle functions as an event and attraction zone, including an amphitheater overlooking the Yarkon estuary and an urban piazza adjacent to the Reading complex.
The transformation of the tanks from polluting infrastructure into a regenerative one is achieved through lightweight shading envelopes, climbing vegetation, passive ventilation, and the use of simple, sustainable materials. In doing so, the tanks are reimagined from fuel containers into active civic spaces—symbols of urban, environmental, and cultural renewal.