The Michael Sela Auditorium
Unlocking the full potential of a preservation listed building
Program Auditorium
Client The Weitzmann Institute
Location Rehovot, Israel
Appointment 2017
Status Completed
Completion November 2019
Size 2,000 m²
Project Architect Smadar Efrati, Ayelet Kamar-Erez
Team Rany Mahameed, Assaf Shukrun, Bosmat Unger, Ido Aziz, Lihi Yalin, Nizan Hess, Shachar Beer, Tslil Shai, Noam Burg, Eliahu Cohen, Ivi Vassilopoulou
Collaborators Jan Tichy
Photography Dor Kedmi
The existing Auditorium building is a great example of Modernism and was designed by iconic Israeli Architects Arieh Sharon and Benjamin Idelson in 1955.
We were commissioned to do a renovation project in a building that falls under strict ‘preservation’ rules, and where the facades and contour of the building cannot be modified.
However, the ambition of the owners was to double the area of the lobby so that it can accommodate all the guests in the auditorium, and even hold small cultural and communal events in the lobby.
The creative response to this challenge was hidden underneath, as it was found under the audience seating area. By raising the seating area, a new space was revealed that could serve as a lobby and even open up to the back garden of the building.
