Gallery

Company name: Khatib & Alami
Consolidated contractors company (CCC)
Bethlehem development foundation

CG Artists: Ziad Filfili , Joe Khoury, Roy Nasr
Urban Planners and Landscape Architects : Youssef Hajj, Ahmad Al Mahairy, Maya Majzoub, Daniel Safadi, Nassmah Al Ghoussein

Manger Square is the iconic center of Bethlehem, and is the hub for various religious activities and festivals celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Bethlehem Development Foundation undertook the beautification and rehabilitation of Manger Square to accommodate the thousands of visitors arriving from all over the world annually, especially during Christmas and Easter holidays.
The square is transformed into a sustainable and pedestrian-friendly square, where car traffic has been redirected and carbon emissions reduced.
The roofs of the surrounding buildings are being transformed into Green roofs with living walls. This mitigates the heat-island effect of the urban environment and welcomes pedestrians into public green spaces at roof level.
Rainwater harvesting is designed to adopted to recycle runoff water to use for landscaping, irrigation, and maintenance.
Light-weight kiosks are designed to host the media crews, facilitating their coverage of activities during festivals. The decking used is of plastic lumber that is both recycled and recyclable.
Solar farms are designed to harness solar energy to power the square and to provide a surplus of energy for the municipality’s use.
The surrounding facades have been enhanced through cleaning pressure washing by water or sand, painting, planting, and re-tiling. The windows and doors of the Old Municipality building are replaced and enhanced with iron work protection. Ambient up-down lighting accentuates the architecture around the square.
Guidelines have been developed to regulate the shop signage around the square, as well as road signage, and interactive information boards for and visitors.
The trees in the square are lit with in-ground spot lighting that changes tints according to the season.
The processional route is highlighted at night with special dimmable flood lights that visually highlight the historical route which begins from Jerusalem Gate via Star Street, passes by Omar Mosque and Manger Square, to connect with the Church of Nativity, emphasizing a message of peace and integration.