Nili Portugali

Nili Portugali has been a practicing architect for more than 50 years (born in Israel, 1948). She is a 7th generation descendant of the well-known Berenson family who lives in the holly Galilee city of Safed since the early 19th century and granddaughter of Dr. Nissan Kahan, founder of the Zionist movement in Hungary.
Her multidisciplinary work in the visual arts & architecture focuses on both practice and theory, closely connected to the holistic-phenomenological school of thought.

She was a senior lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Department of Architecture, Jerusalem and was teaching at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion, Haifa.
She is invited as a guest lecturer to leading universities all over the world.

Her work is documented worldwide in books, in the Dictionair De l’Architeture Du xxe Scielle / Hazan Publication France, in professional magazines, in the press and on television.
Her first book: The Act of Creation and the Spirit of Place: A Holistic-Phenomenological Approach to Architecture was among the 23 books of the year selected by the Royal Institute of British Architects (R.I.B.A) International Book Award (Launched at Harvard, MIT, Europe & China).
was listed in the books of the year selected by the Royal Institute of British Architects (R.I.B.A)
In the book Review by URBAN DESIGN International / Palgrave Macmillan Journals:
"Portugali's quiet revolution may be the one that passes the ultimate test of time"
Her second book: A Holistic Approach to Architecture, "The Felicja Blumenthal Music Center and Library" Tel Aviv / Edition Am Oved Tel Aviv
Her third book: ‘And the alley she whitewashed in light blue - The secret of all those timeless places where one feels »at home«
Film * Architecture * Art’ / Edition Axel Menges Stuttgart / London 2022
(The book includes a free streaming access to watch the film)

Graduated: A. A. School of Architecture - London; Post G selected studies: Architecture & Buddhism -
U.C Berkeley; Selected Film studies - Tel-Aviv University.
Research work with Christopher Alexander at the 'Center for Environmental Structure'/ Berkeley.
Among the buildings she designed is the world-known "The Felicja Blumenthal Music Center and Library" at the historic heart of Tel Aviv.

Her work was exhibited in the Venice Architecture Biennale, Barcelona Spain, Linz Austria, San Paolo Architecture Biennale etc.

Her feature Hybrid film "And the alley she whitewashed in light blue" of which she wrote its script, directed, edited and did the production design, can be seen as the third of a trilogy following the buildings she designed as an architect and the published books she wrote.
The film was world premiered at the International Mumbai film festival, India.

Her firm is involved in a variety of projects in urban design, architecture, landscape design and interior design, disciplines she regards as one continuous system.

She is a graduate of prestigious 'Architectural Association School of Architecture' (A.A.), London. She did post graduate selected studies in Architecture and Buddhism at the University of California, Berkeley, worked and participating in research with Prof. Christopher Alexander at the ‘Center for Environmental Structure’, Berkeley. She did selected postgraduate studies in film at the Tel-Aviv University.

She has won prizes in competitions. Her work was exhibited in the Venice and San Paolo Architecture Biennale. She is invited as a guest lecturer to leading universities all over the world. She published many articles on architecture and her work is documented in professional magazines, in the press and on television.

She is a Guest lecturer at MIT, Harvard, Carleton University, Oxford University, TU Stuttgart; TU Dresden; TU Delft, Tsinghua China; Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Nili Portugali’s Website: www.niliportugali.com