Our iconic vision for the new Netanya city hall grandly celebrates the civic and cultural center of this dynamic city. There were a number of important urban ideas which drove our design. We feel strongly that urban spaces need sufficient pedestrian traffic to be successful. Our site’s adjacency to the shopping mall, post office, theater, and cultural building presented an opportunity for a robust urban space – the ultimate monument to a thriving city. We planned the site in a way that capitalizes on the surrounding energy and creates a hub of human activity.

It was critical for us that the new building would not interrupt the connection from the mall to the theater. Pulling the building’s footprint into the site allowed us to create an intermediate plaza to join the northern and southern plazas. This gesture creates a more animated sequence of outdoor spaces, which will be used by many different people at all times of the day. The height differential between the upper and lower plazas was an opportunity to add an informal seating area and thus bring additional life to the space. This seating might also be used for organized cultural and/or municipal events. With the same concern of bringing life to the public spaces, we strategically placed public uses (a cafe and art gallery) at the entry of the building. In addition to further animating the space, it was an opportunity to give something back to the city.

The interior space of the building is organized around the central atrium which is oriented towards the sea. The vistas of the Mediterranean, particularly from the upper levels of the building, will be spectacular. The atrium allows for a strong spatial connection between the spaces. The different departments of the building always relate back to the larger idea of community and common good. Particular effort was made to keep those departments with public reception as open as possible. We concentrated those functions on the first three levels. At the very top of the building is the council chamber, where representatives of the people gather to make civic decisions. This space offers panoramic views of the Mediterranean, as well as back into the heart of the country.

The sculptural form of the building was inspired by Netanya’s strong identity with the sea. It evokes images of sails, ships, and seashells. The atrium façade is entirely glazed to fill the center of the building with natural light. The curved sides of the building are delicately fenestrated in an organic pattern. This allows the “shell” to read as a single graceful gesture.

We thought it important that the city uses this project as an opportunity to demonstrate environmentally responsible design. Our design incorporates a passive cooling system that will both create a comfortable work environment and drastically reduce the buildings annual energy consumption. The atrium acts as an air shaft pulling fresh air up through the building. As the air enters the bottom of the atrium it passes over a geothermally cooled pool of water which cools the air that is then distributed throughout the building. The buildings western orientation allows the air to flow in naturally with minimal mechanical assistance. The pool is also an important design feature of the entry.