This project was characterised by very strict height
limits due to the adjacent parliament, municipality buildings and the view towards a valley to the west. The plot is also on a prime junction next to the university and the national museum.
For this reason, we proposed lowering the ground area just below the existing lower walkways, thus creating a welcoming
piazza that is not only inviting, but also offers an open public space for interaction between visitors, students and passersby.
The programme requirement was to accommodate the
archives’ three core areas of specialisation: Judaica, Israeli and Islamic literature, video and audio. Our proposal here consists of one large element with three conceptual paths individuating each of the main areas. This in turn created new external spaces at ground level that serve and connect with the upper walkway. Finally, an opening through the building masses was created in the form of extruded transversal voids that allow views of the parliament building and over the valley beyond.
collaborators: David Nofar Architects and IaN+
www.nirsivan.com