The basic concept behind the Z Design Building, located next to Design Museum (by Ron Arad), is the expression of the basic residential “aggregate” – the apartment – almost as an independent unit. This articulation is achieved simply as each second floor (containing four apartments) rotates around the building core relative to the two floors below or above. Thus also every second apartment gains a large 30 sqm “roof terrace”, as an integral element of building mass. The rich volumetric composition of the whole building is achieved almost as a by-product of that simple shift. Thus also another feature is gained: no more “main” and “side” facades; each side of the building is as important.

The Z Design Building with its “revolving” geometry reproduces this old-new vocabulary, while simply and economically constructed as conventional concrete skeleton with on-site prefab walls installed on it. In 30 or 40 story high buildings it will just as well be implemented: we may envision a whole city block designed accordingly with low-rise street buildings surrounding some tall ones in between, around a small open public space. Exterior finishes are quite basic, consisting mainly of cut white stone, integrated into the on-site cast-in place wall units. We may say that the building’s beauty lies in its logic of volumetric formation, almost regardless of any expensive finish materials.

Design team: Ami Shinar, partner in charge; Barak Levy, Serge Ferman

Photos: Dana Polo

See more: Archdaily, November 29, 2013

Awards: Building excellence 1st prize by Israel Builders Assoc., 2014