Known as the ‘White City’, Tel Aviv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site described as ‘…an outstanding architectural ensemble of the Modern Movement in a new cultural context’. The University campus is ‘…a unique open-air museum of modern architecture.’

 

Within this rich cultural context, an international competition was launched for a state-of-the-art nanotechnology research centre. The brief promoted dialogue between science, the University and the public on a plot between Einstein Square and the eastern gateway. From 128 applicants, including many famous names, this proposal reached the final 3.

 

Its architecture is overtly sculptural, as if carved. A cubic block is notionally extracted from the ‘White City’ and moulded in response to its context, climate and function. Bold curved slices create an entrance on the square, a roof garden with city views and a campanile marking the University gateway. Smaller scale carvings admit light and air and create framed vistas. Deep reveals shade the interior from the harsh Middle Eastern sun. Constructed in glass reinforced concrete and recycled glass tiles, the façade is inspired by the Holliday Junction, the building blocks of DNA nanotechnology. The architecture therefore reflects both the ‘White City’ and the cutting-edge research.

 

An elegantly efficient plan collects the cleanrooms, laboratories and utilities to the east, offices on the western edge overlooking Einstein Square, and an atrium facilitating movement and dialogue in between. A ribbon like staircase in black lacquered steel invites the public on a journey of scientific discovery ascending to a rooftop view of the ‘White City’ itself.