Tama 38 - Suitable for many buildings in the country
TAMA 38
Tama 38 - The helmet that protects your home from earthquakes
Imagine standing in front of the building where you grew up. It looks pretty much the same as the days when you played in the yard as a child - the same walls, the same balconies, the same window through which you curiously peeked at the world. But something has changed - the foundations are no longer as stable as they once were, and every time a truck passes down the street, you feel the floor shaking slightly. Suddenly, the place that always felt like a fortress of security has turned into a risk area. If only there were a way to restore that sense of protection without unsettling everything familiar and dear... Well, that is precisely the mission that Tama 38 has taken upon itself - to attach a safety helmet to every old building without losing its character and identity. The program promises apartment owners a golden opportunity to secure the future, renovate the present, and preserve the past. So let's understand together how Tama 38 is quietly revolutionizing the Israeli urban landscape, and how it is transforming building reinforcement from an impossible task into an available and obvious solution.
First of all, what exactly is Tama 38 and why is it so necessary?
The term itself is an abbreviation for "National Outline Plan 38" - a government initiative intended to address two fundamental problems: an increasing shortage of housing units and the vulnerability of old buildings to earthquake damage. The rationale is simple - the state provides private developers with significant incentives in the form of additional building rights so that they can reinforce and upgrade old buildings at their own expense. The result? Thousands of families receive a reinforced and safer apartment at no cost, while additional new housing units are added to the stock. In a reality of a saturated real estate market and immense demand for housing in city centers, Tama 38 succeeds in creating a kind of environmental Win-Win - the city is renewed, the developers profit, and the citizens benefit.
But wait, how does it work in practice? Here’s an overview of the process:
- Identifying a suitable building - the developer looks for a building constructed before 1980 (usually), in an area with demand for housing, where additional building rights can be obtained.
- Gathering tenant consent - a majority of at least 75% of the tenants is needed to kickstart a project. It's not always easy to convince everyone, but the developer tries to offer attractive incentives such as apartment expansion or a new balcony.
- Detailed engineering planning - comprehensive inspections of the building's condition are conducted, optimal reinforcement methods are planned (like secure rooms, wall thickening, or foundations), and requests for building permits are submitted.
- Reinforcement and construction work - after receiving the permits, the building's framework is reinforced and then the additional constructions for tenants and the developer are built. Patience is required at this stage, as it takes time and the disturbance is not trivial.
- Renewed occupancy - the tenants return home to reinforced and expanded apartments, the developer receives the new apartments for sale, and everyone starts living more safely.
Of course, like any complex project, there are also not-so-simple challenges in Tama 38:
- Prolonged procedures - complicated bureaucracy and numerous objections delay many projects. Sometimes years pass before the reinforcement works begin.
- High costs - reinforcing a building is an expensive endeavor. Not every project is economically viable for developers, especially in the periphery. The prices of the new apartments are not always affordable for everyone.
- Planning issues and urban fabric - adding floors and housing units does not always blend well with older neighborhoods and may create problematic density and strain on infrastructure.
Nonetheless, the numbers prove that Tama 38 has already managed to bring about impressive change:
- More than 6,000 buildings have already been reinforced or are in the reinforcement process across the country.
- So far, about 50,000 new housing units have been added under the program, representing a significant addition to the housing stock.
- In cities like Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Bat Yam, over 70% of the buildings built before the 1980s have already undergone or will undergo reinforcement thanks to Tama 38.
- The value of the renovated apartments increases by tens of percent due to expansions and upgrades, sometimes by more than 500,000 shekels per apartment.
So yes, Tama 38 is not a perfect magic solution. It requires effort, compromises, expectation management, and patience. But it certainly manages to address the two most pressing issues facing Israel right now - safe housing and affordable housing. It creates a mechanism of a "lifebuoy" that allows harnessing private capital for the benefit of resident safety and the future of cities. And like any good helmet - it may not be the most comfortable or stylish, but it does the job and protects your head.
So the next time you look at the old building from your childhood, imagine it with the safety helmet that Tama 38 offers it. It may slightly change the familiar exterior look, but it will ensure that precious memories and new experiences continue to occur within those beloved walls for many years to come. And ultimately, what could be more important than knowing that our home has the best protection? With Tama 38, the future looks much more stable.