Michel Remon & Associés (Michel REMON & Alexis PEYER) has been chosen to design the new Tel-Aviv University Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Centre. This building has the ambition to become one of the most technological and cutting-edge buildings in the Middle East.
The project for Tel-Aviv University presents a matrix of vertical lines creating a “skin” covering the three-storey building. The structure will enable natural light control and balance out the interior-exterior ratio. Visually, the building will not feature windows or doors. Among the energy efficiency solutions suggested by the company is special glass to optimize sun energy, natural ventilation, solar panels to cool the building and a rainwater collection system. The building has an area of 6000 sq. m and it is planned to be completed by 2023.
The new laboratory building will become a working space for over 120 scientists and engineers who will collaborate with one of the most significant universities in Israel. According to the technical report, 12 research labs will be situated on three floors: physical, biophysical, neural engineering, molecular electronics and other labs, as well as office and public areas.
Exceedingly high requirements for design strategies are the unique feature of this project. Some laboratories require complete design accuracy: construction errors must not exceed 1 mm for every 100 sq. m. Moreover, a typical laboratory consumes five times more water and energy per sq. m. than offices and houses. That is why energy efficiency and engineering solutions are of significant importance in this project.
Equally important is the fact that Tel Aviv University is a unique open-air museum of contemporary architecture and plastic arts created during the last five decades. The campus is significant for both its architecture and art installations that have been realized throughout its history. It was designed according to the principles of the Bauhaus in the early 1960s as a strict geometry of rectangular slabs and simple faculty and laboratory buildings.
Joseph Klafter, President of Tel-Aviv University:
“The final choice of the Nano building reflects the synergy between the technical needs defined by the research teams and our desire to provide an open and welcoming research environment. I have no doubt that the new building will help inspire outstanding research and global collaborations”.
ALEXIS PEYER, architect, MICHEL RÉMON & ASSOCIÉS:
“We chose this competition because we like to challenge areas where science meets human endeavor and progress. And nanoscience and nanotechnologies are one of the humanity's greatest endeavors. The most interesting and challenging aspect of this project was to design a very technical building specifically for scientific research while keeping a strong and iconic architecture dedicated to the Tel Aviv University campus”.