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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Bar Kokhba Tower in Bnei Brak, Israel by Barre Levie Architects&Urban PlannersFebruary 16th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners The New BBC Business Complex in Bnei Brak Bar Kokhba Tower is located in the southern part of the new BBC business complex in Bnei Brak, close to Jabotinsky Street. The complex, designed by the Barre-Levie Architects firm (BB/566), is rapidly developing and establishing itself on the business map within the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. Today, the BBC complex is already a significant center for urban employment, thanks to its attractive conditions, innovative office tower design, and proximity to major highways as well as the future light rail lines. Six towers have already been constructed and occupied by tenants, with another 30 currently in the planning stages.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners
 Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners The BBC complex was planned on land that had previously housed workshops, garages, and residential buildings side by side. The Barre-Levie firm created a detailed master plan for urban renewal in the area, which enabled the construction of modern office towers in place of the existing industrial buildings. This plan also includes an incentives framework that permits a specific design and development process for any complex covered by the master plan.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners The first office floor begins at a height of about 16 meters above ground level, in order to preserve open space at the front of the building, facing the street and the adjacent residential area. This design creates an open, inviting urban plaza at the base of the tower that gives it a feeling of “floating” above the ground and helps to establish the tower as an especially prominent structure within the complex.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners In order to create this “floating” effect, the firm designed two pairs of round columns positioned in a V shape between the ground level and the first floor of the building. Each pair of columns descends through four basement levels until they form one massive pillar at the foundation. The columns were cast from concrete and encased in steel tubes, each with a diameter of 1.5 m. These were manufactured separately and assembled on-site. Above the columns, the first built-up level intended for office use must effectively transfer the load of the office floors to the round columns. The office floors were therefore designed with a concrete casing featuring openings that are part of the tower’s construction. The outer side of this casing was covered with white and gray-colored curtain walls, and partly with Mongolian Black stone, using the dry fixing method.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners The tower was designed with a variety of spaces that create a gradual transition between exterior and interior. Part of the plaza at the tower’s entrance is covered, conveying a sense of inner space even though it is part of an open, outside space. Similarly, the tower’s entrance lobby was designed in the form of a cube with a glass ceiling and sides that extend from the first floor of the building. This lobby enjoys the benefits of outdoor space, with plenty of natural light. Various floors within the tower were designed with terraces ranging from 100-300 square meters, representing open areas for the offices (“pentoffices”). In addition, the varying sections within the building have produced a wide range of offices and floors of different sizes – ranging from 1,000 square meters on the lower floors, up to 500 square meters on the upper floors.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners Bar Kokhba Tower is located in the vicinity of several taller towers, some of which have as many as 40 floors. Due to this tower’s relatively low height, its mass was divided into several vertical sections, each of which was distinguished by its unique material, texture, and color: black, white, and gray. The contrast between the different sections, and their compact size relative to the overall mass, enhances the tower’s impression of height. Observation of the tower from outside emphasizes its composition of vertical elements, even though the office floors are in fact horizontal.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners Due to the competitive climate prevailing in the Metropolitan Tel Aviv office market, together with the vicinity of the higher towers and this tower’s relatively small footprint (just 3,000 square meters), it was vitally important to give Bar Kokhba Tower a unique character. Its unique look enabled the tower to be branded as an exclusive building with an entirely original design. This objective was taken into account throughout the design process, giving the tower a competitive advantage.  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners  Image Courtesy © Barre Levie Architects&Urban Planners
Categories: Building, Housing Development, Information Tower, Mixed use, Office Building, Office space, Offices, Residential, Tower |
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