Ahad Haam Tower is located in Haifa’s Hadar neighborhood, which for years served as the socio-economic and cultural center of the coastal port city. The neighborhood’s design was first drafted in the 1930’s by renowned architect Richard Kaufman, widely considered one of the most influential architects in the history of Israel. Kaufman, who was greatly influenced by Sir Ebenezer Howard, an English urban planner, designed the Hadar neighborhood according to the principles of the "Garden City.” Ahad Haam Tower reinvents Haifa’s architectural legacy by propelling an urban concept aimed at dealing with intensive urbanization and densification processes.
Ahad Haam Tower is based upon three different typical floors that create a vertical neighborhood and speak to the existing principles in the Hadar neighborhood. Horizontal lines, three-dimensional façades, shaded sun terraces and functional and clean materials exemplify the architectural values in the tower. These characteristics are also present in the project’s surrounding environment, which is composed primarily of International architectural-style buildings.
Ahad Haam Tower’s three-dimensional façades manifest a unique identity to each of the apartments in the project. The primary goal of Ahad Haam Tower was to create a microcosm of local culture that distills the principles of the entire neighborhood. This goal is achieved by combining a commercial floor on the ground level with an array of artist workshops – an important part of the neighborhood's revitalization.
Alongside the skyscraper, the Birkenheim House, a 19th-century Templar building, has been restored to serve as a commercial area that hosts artist studios and a café. The building was restored together with various craftsmen who paid respect to the details that characterized the original building -- wood, iron and stone -- all the while under strict supervision of the Israeli Society for the Conservation and Preservation.
The materiality of Ahad Haam Tower is composed of exposed concrete castings that create a complete and coherent aesthetic with the architectural language of the many preservation buildings in the neighborhood. The Ahad Haam Tower seamlessly integrates into the existing urban fabric and pays respect to the original aesthetic of Haifa, while creating a new dimension of the surrounding cityscape.
Birkenheim House, a 19th-century Templar building, has been restored to serve as a commercial area that hosts artist studios and a café. The building was restored together with various craftsmen who paid respect to the details that characterized the original building wood, iron and stone all the while under strict supervision of the Israeli Society for the Conservation and Preservation.
Team:
Architects: Bar Orian Architects & Schwartz Besnosoff Architects
Photographer: Amit Geron
