Beer Sheva’s Regional Government Center
Beer Sheva’s Regional Government Center was built in 1997-2000 and was planned by architects Ruth Lahav, Toni Rigg and Len Warshaw who won the Azrieli competition prize for the project.
The site, a long north-south strip (230x80m) in the center of the new city, sits opposite the new Regional Courthouse, facing the planned main pedestrian mall of Beer Sheva.
Adopting to the slope of the site, the building has two ground levels, the lower one giving access to the commercial shopping center and private offices, and the upper one to the Government Administration Center: the main entrances to both are one above the other at the “rotunda” on the mall.
Winning project of the Azrieli Prize for Urban Planning of the Council for a Beautiful Israel, 2005
Design concept:
The office accomodation is divided into five buildings, linked by a north-south spine of circulation and services under a “wave” roof, with atriums between the buildings. Responding to climate, the office buildings are oriented north-south, to minimise cooling loads and maximise daylighting; office areas allow flexible planning of closed and open space offices. Elevations have north facing curtain walls, south facing stone cladding, and west & east aluminum panel facing.
The building was built and completed in two phases, with the government center offices in buildings A-D completed in 2002 and the private offices building E & Mall completed in 2003.
The competition:
The design won first prize in a two stage open architectural design competition, for the Southern Region Government Administration Center (26,000m² offices), private offices (7,000m²), commercial shopping center (10,000m²), and underground services and parking (30,000m²).
Competition 1995
Plumbing engineer: Arie Swartz, Beer Sheva
Electrical engineer: Yossi Aharoni, Beer Sheva
HVAC engineer: HARVAC, Beer Sheva
Photographs: Amit Geron, Tel Aviv
Arial Photography: Rotem, Beer Sheva
