Documenting Palestinian architectural heritage at risk

This 6-month plan safeguards the record of 5 places across 2 regional projects—documenting what survives, connecting it to community memory, and opening the resulting archive to research, learning and public life.

5
locations in scopeconfirmed locations
2
regional projectsselected for this plan
6
monthsselected delivery period

If we lose our architectural heritage, we will lose our identity.

Every surviving house, mosque, church and mill holds evidence of a place: how it was built, how people lived there, and how memory endures in its landscape. OpenVL brings spatial documentation, photographs, maps, archival sources and community knowledge together so this record can be studied, shared and carried forward.

Document
Record priority places through field photography, spatial capture, measured documentation and source research before more evidence is lost.
Connect
Bring point clouds, virtual tours, 3D models, maps, photographs, archival sources and community memory into a coherent digital record.
Share
Make the archive useful to communities, researchers, educators, artists and cultural institutions—and carry the record forward.

Milestone 1 · Foundation

This selected plan funds 6 months of delivery across Jaffa and Jerusalem. It brings together the team, tools, archive operations and project work required for an accountable delivery phase.

Support this selected plan as a lead funder or project partner. Funding commitments can be phased against agreed deliverables.

All amounts in USD · Selected view total. Choose Year 1 or Year 2 above for a true annual plan, or Whole program for the complete 24 months. The monthly and annualized controls show comparison rates only.

Selected funding package

Funding request $155,925.38

Funding required for the selected delivery package across 6 months.

CategorySelected delivery cost before contingency
Core delivery team$46,213.08
Archive, entity and recurring operations$15,364.86
Equipment and field resilience$24,645.06
Field documentation and 3D scanning$10,397.95
Forensic research and reconstruction$29,725.03
Exhibition and distribution$15,404.38
Contingency$14,175.02
Selected delivery costs$155,925.38

Projects and delivery

Each province or regional area is one project. Forensic work is priced by selected village: one two-person team-month plus sources and tools for each village. One whole-deliverable finalization budget covers template design, curation and narrative assembly, integration, language and content QA, delivery, and one sample print per area; it is charged once and allocated among the active forensic areas.

Regional projectIncluded locationsSelected scopeSelected delivery cost
Jaffa province
قضاء يافا
Jaffa province (قضاء يافا) — 3 agreed fieldwork locations: al-Manshiyya (المنشية); Sheikh Muwannis (الشيخ مونس); al-Haram / Sidna Ali (الحرم / سيدنا علي).Jaffa province — field documentation and 3D scanning
Jaffa province — forensic research and reconstruction
$23,572.13
Jerusalem province
قضاء القدس
Jerusalem province (قضاء القدس) — 2 agreed fieldwork locations: Lifta (لفتا); Ayn Karim (عين كارم).Jerusalem province — field documentation and 3D scanning
Jerusalem province — forensic research and reconstruction
$16,550.85

Category sums show selected costs before contingency. Open a group to review its modules and cost items. Detailed deliverables and acceptance criteria will be agreed before commitments.

Core delivery team $46,213.08

Monthly average: $7,702.18 · 2 modules selected

Adam — program architecture, data systems, digital infrastructure and delivery · $23,106.54 · confirmed

Architects the operating system for the program: planning, data governance, digital infrastructure, web platforms, delivery controls, and the technical integration that turns research into a durable public archive.

Monthly average: $3,851.09.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Adam Gera1 / monthly$23,106.54$3,851.09
Karim — curatorial direction, 3D capture, reconstruction, post-production and partnerships · $23,106.54 · confirmed

Leads the interpretive and spatial production layer: curatorial judgment, 3D capture and reconstruction, post-production, evidence selection, and the relationships that make each project credible and usable.

Monthly average: $3,851.09.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Karim Yehia1 / monthly$23,106.54$3,851.09
Archive, entity and recurring operations $15,364.86

Monthly average: $2,560.81 · 6 modules selected

Matterport archive hosting · $1,476.25 · estimate

Monthly average: $246.04.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Matterport1 / annual$1,476.25$246.04
Nira point-cloud hosting · $1,925.55 · estimate

Monthly average: $320.93.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Nira / point-cloud hosting1 / annual$1,925.55$320.93
Cloud storage and backups · $641.85 · estimate

Monthly average: $106.98.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Cloud storage + backup1 / annual$641.85$106.98
Vehicle, fuel and local transport · $1,251.60 · estimate

Monthly average: $208.60.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Vehicle, fuel and local field transport6.5 / daily$1,251.60$208.60
UK Ltd — incorporation and year 1 compliance · $3,651.12 · provisional

Monthly average: $608.52.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
UK Ltd — incorporation and year 1 compliance1 / per project$3,651.12$608.52
Archive landing-page MVP · $6,418.49 · estimate

Monthly average: $1,069.75.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Website and archive development1 / per project$6,418.49$1,069.75
Equipment and field resilience $24,645.06

Monthly average: $4,107.51 · 7 modules selected

Drone and camera payload · $2,567.39 · estimate

Monthly average: $427.90.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Drone + camera payload1 / one time$2,567.39$427.90
Insta360 X6 · $1,283.70 · estimate

Monthly average: $213.95.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
360 camera1 / one time$1,283.70$213.95
Sony Alpha 7 V body · $3,693.98 · estimate

Monthly average: $615.66.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Hybrid full-frame camera body1 / one time$3,693.98$615.66
Sigma 24–70mm F2.8 lens · $1,697.73 · estimate

Monthly average: $282.96.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Standard f/2.8 zoom lens1 / one time$1,697.73$282.96
Field recording and monitoring kit · $2,162.71 · estimate

Monthly average: $360.45.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Field recording + monitoring kit1 / one time$2,162.71$360.45
Unpriced equipment and field resilience · $1,145.27 · estimate

Monthly average: $190.88.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Two 5TB local archive HDD copies2 / one time$593.65$98.94
Rugged 2TB portable field SSD1 / one time$551.62$91.94
Matterport Pro3 · $12,094.28 · estimate

LiDAR reality-capture camera for fast indoor and outdoor field documentation.

Monthly average: $2,015.71.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Matterport Pro3 camera1 / one time$12,094.28$2,015.71
Field documentation and 3D scanning $10,397.95

Monthly average: $1,732.99 · 2 modules selected

Jaffa province — field documentation and 3D scanning · $6,161.75 · estimate

Three recorded locations, each budgeted for one field-documentation day and one post-processing day, plus one $300 regional travel allowance.

Province and included villages: Jaffa province (قضاء يافا) — 3 agreed fieldwork locations: al-Manshiyya (المنشية); Sheikh Muwannis (الشيخ مونس); al-Haram / Sidna Ali (الحرم / سيدنا علي).

3 of 3 documentation villages selected: al-Manshiyya (المنشية); Sheikh Muwannis (الشيخ مونس); al-Haram / Sidna Ali (الحرم / سيدنا علي).

Monthly average: $1,026.96.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
3D field documentation — Jaffa province3 / daily$3,851.09$641.85
Post-processing — Jaffa province3 / daily$1,925.55$320.93
Regional travel — Jaffa province1 / per project$385.11$64.19
Jerusalem province — field documentation and 3D scanning · $4,236.20 · estimate

Two recorded locations, each budgeted for one field-documentation day and one post-processing day, plus one $300 regional travel allowance.

Province and included villages: Jerusalem province (قضاء القدس) — 2 agreed fieldwork locations: Lifta (لفتا); Ayn Karim (عين كارم).

2 of 2 documentation villages selected: Lifta (لفتا); Ayn Karim (عين كارم).

Monthly average: $706.03.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
3D field documentation — Jerusalem province2 / daily$2,567.39$427.90
Post-processing — Jerusalem province2 / daily$1,283.70$213.95
Regional travel — Jerusalem province1 / per project$385.11$64.19
Forensic research and reconstruction $29,725.03

Monthly average: $4,954.17 · 2 modules selected

Jaffa province — forensic research and reconstruction · $17,410.38 · estimate

Village-based forensic research and reconstruction. Village research and sources scale by selection. Curation, narrative direction, integration, final QA and digital delivery form one common production pass, charged once across the selected scope and allocated equally to its active areas. One physical sample book is budgeted per area; exhibition curation is separate.

Province and included villages: Jaffa province (قضاء يافا) — 3 agreed fieldwork locations: al-Manshiyya (المنشية); Sheikh Muwannis (الشيخ مونس); al-Haram / Sidna Ali (الحرم / سيدنا علي).

3 of 3 villages selected: al-Manshiyya (المنشية); Sheikh Muwannis (الشيخ مونس); al-Haram / Sidna Ali (الحرم / سيدنا علي).

ComponentBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Two-person research and design teamPer selected village · one team-month$12,739.30$2,123.22
Sources and specialist toolsPer selected village$2,547.86$424.64
Whole-deliverable finalizationAllocated across 2 active areas · includes one sample print per area$2,123.22$353.87
Jerusalem province — forensic research and reconstruction · $12,314.65 · estimate

Village-based forensic research and reconstruction. Village research and sources scale by selection. Curation, narrative direction, integration, final QA and digital delivery form one common production pass, charged once across the selected scope and allocated equally to its active areas. One physical sample book is budgeted per area; exhibition curation is separate.

Province and included villages: Jerusalem province (قضاء القدس) — 2 agreed fieldwork locations: Lifta (لفتا); Ayn Karim (عين كارم).

2 of 2 villages selected: Lifta (لفتا); Ayn Karim (عين كارم).

ComponentBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Two-person research and design teamPer selected village · one team-month$8,492.86$1,415.48
Sources and specialist toolsPer selected village$1,698.58$283.10
Whole-deliverable finalizationAllocated across 2 active areas · includes one sample print per area$2,123.21$353.87
Exhibition and distribution $15,404.38

Monthly average: $2,567.40 · 1 modules selected

OpenVL touring exhibition — production and distribution · $15,404.38 · estimate

One compact, reusable exhibition based on the demonstrated Visualising Saffuriya installation: printed archival panels, a physical model, simple display furniture and basic media playback. The $12,000 production estimate includes exhibition-specific preparation, fabrication, packing, test installation and distribution materials. Core research and team capacity are budgeted elsewhere. Future venue-specific freight, customs, insurance, venue hire, staff travel and local installation are added only when a host is confirmed.

Monthly average: $2,567.40.

Cost itemBasisUSD · selected periodMonthly average
Exhibition producing and project management1 / one time$1,026.96$171.16
Curatorial and interpretive development1 / one time$898.59$149.77
Spatial, graphic and technical design1 / one time$1,540.44$256.74
Media post-production, rights and translation1 / one time$770.22$128.37
Modular fabrication, graphics and display furniture1 / one time$4,107.83$684.64
AV hardware, interactivity, cabling and spares1 / one time$1,540.44$256.74
Reusable travel cases, packing and condition documentation1 / one time$1,540.44$256.74
Prototype, first installation, testing and installation manual1 / one time$2,310.65$385.11
Launch, education, communications and distribution kit1 / one time$1,668.81$278.14
Budget assumptions
Delivery contingency
10% when enabled

The selected category, project and cost-item amounts reconcile directly to the total funding request.

Selected references