Engineering Administration Building, Haifa

In my role as the manager of the Public Transportation Department in Netanya Municipality, I was sent to participate in a public transportation planning course organized by the Association of Engineers for Construction and Infrastructure in Israel. The course covered various aspects of planning public transportation systems and was both interesting and beneficial. It’s always good to learn new things. However, the part that brought us here to this site was the tour of Haifa’s traffic light control center, located in the Engineering Administration building – a new, prominent, and impressive structure in its form, entirely covered in glass and conveying a sense of modernity and openness.

The building, constructed adjacent to the main City Hall, is connected to it by a covered bridge – a symbolic and physical link between the old and the new. The City Hall itself is an older building, with a traditional public character, featuring architecture reminiscent of the early days of the state, and stands opposite the Memorial Garden – one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city. The transition from the old City Hall to the new Engineering building creates a sense of moving between two worlds – on one side, the city’s historical institutions, and on the other, advanced urban management systems relying on up-to-date technology. This combination well illustrates the balance that Haifa aspires to achieve between preservation and tradition, and innovation and future planning.

During the visit, Eng. Shuaa Zoabi guided us on the tour and presented the center’s activities, including how the city’s traffic light system is managed. But I was interested in taking a 360-degree photograph from the building, as its location is high enough and its proximity to the Sea offers an exceptional view of Haifa and its surrounding landscape. I requested and was granted access to the building’s balconies and windows, and I photographed the breathtaking view from there. From this vantage point, one can see the buildings of Haifa spread out below, with the Mediterranean Sea stretching to the horizon in the background. Directly ahead stands the iconic “Missile Building” of Haifa, alongside the port, where ships are docked next to the shipyards and port infrastructure facilities. All of this is surrounded by a diverse architectural landscape, with beautiful and ancient buildings (and less attractive and outdated ones). And alongside the urban landscape, the forested slopes of Mount Carmel rise, above which the Dan Panorama towers stand, and right next to them, the sun is about to set. (Twice! 😆)

The panorama captures not just the view itself, but also the feeling of a vibrant city nestled between mountain and Sea. This is one of the places where one can experience Haifa’s unique beauty – a combination of nature, industry, urbanity, and history in one broad perspective.