preston scott cohen + namit nemlich: tel aviv museum expansion

exterior view image © designboom

designboom is just back from tel aviv where we were invited to experience the ‘houses from within’ program, in which we were taken on a tour of some of the most recently finished and current architectural works in progress, within this major israeli city. one of the biggest projects that is underway is the tel aviv museum of art expansion headed by architects preston scott cohen (U.S.) and amit nemlich (israel), who is the project leader. the addition is built out of a dynamic network of spaces that define the museum’s interior, with an outer shell that is a continuous plane of complex surfaces.

the design of the facade was a result of numerous geometric experiments on the panelization of parabolas. in the final concept, the parabolas are panelized into four-sided planed surfaces that are varied and adjusted parametrically to allow for deviations, inevitably emerging during construction. the pre-cast concrete panels are supported by a steel frame with waterproofing installed from the interior. the quadrangular panels are subdivided into pieces no greater than 15 m2 in order to meet the limitations of cranes and to contend with angles of loading due to the eccentricity of the shapes.

the museum’s targeted opening date is set for the middle of 2011.

outside the construction walls image © designboom

a look at the faceted concrete facade image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

construction workers dealing with the facade image © designboom

image © designboom

pathway next to the museum image © designboom

looking up at the building image © designboom

small triangular and rectangular windows dot the exterior image © designboom

up close of windows image © designboom

exterior side and ceiling view of the museum image © designboom

overhang with structural columns image © designboom

aerial view image courtesy of preston scott cohen

underside of overhang image © designboom

window details image © designboom

window installed image © designboom

the planar patterning on the facade image © designboom

image © designboom

overview image courtesy of preston scott cohen

exterior pathway leading into the museum space image © designboom

image © designboom

construction on the building’s interior image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

stairway leading to upper level image © designboom

upper level image © designboom

upper level image © designboom

concrete construction image © designboom

structural metal beams in place image © designboom

window from interior image © designboom

interior hall where much sunlight floods the space image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

the sloping and curving details of the interior clad in wood image courtesy of preston scott cohen

overview image courtesy of preston scott cohen

project architect amit nemlich portrait © designboom

rendering of the tel aviv art museum image courtesy of preston scott cohen

rendering of the completed interior image courtesy of preston scott cohen

aerial view of the museum site image courtesy of preston scott cohen

preston scott cohen with an architectural model of the museum image courtesy of preston scott cohen

architectural model image courtesy of preston scott cohen

architectural model image courtesy of preston scott cohen

section view

below are floor plans of the museum layout: