How architects translated the values of a Tel Aviv tech institution into its design
White pixels appear to comprise the façade of the Check Point Building of Computer Sciences, a new institution in Tel Aviv dedicated to a future generation of young computer scientists and programmers. Kimmel Eshkolot Architects developed the double-skin glass exterior using parametric modelling, aiming to achieve the look and feel of a virtual world and thus aligning the facility’s design with its values.
The building was donated by Israeli cybersecurity corporation Check Point for the education and training of pupils from age 11 to those at university level. Classrooms, open collaborative work areas and closed laboratories constitute the interior spaces: the idea behind them, according to the practice, was to allow a variety of different study experiences and interactions.
Two wings separate the young and university-level users when necessary, while joint use of the large classrooms and auditorium encourages interactions and meetings. The building’s circulation system – what the architects refer to as the ‘cloud’ – enables students in youth programmes to view the inner workings of the university’s research programme. A garden patio and Youth Experiment Terrace form the building’s central core.
‘Technology often inspires architects and enables the realization of ideas that were not possible in the past,’ says Etan Kimmel, cofounder of Kimmel Eshkolot Architects. ‘In the Check Point Building, as in our studio's work on the Memorial Hall of Israel's Fallen on Mount Herzl, technology no longer merely serves the architecture, but has become an essential part of the architectural idea.’