Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Campus, Jerusalem Building, Israeli Design

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem

New Campus Building in Israel – design by SANAA, Architects

10 Jun 2013

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design new campus

Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Design: SANAA with Nir Kutz Architects

Pritzker Prize-Winning SANAA Unveils Final Plans for Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design New Downtown Jerusalem Campus in Collaboration with Nir-Kutz Architects

$25 Million Lead Gift from the Mandel Foundation Jumpstarts $100 Million Capital Campaign

Jerusalem, June 10, 2013—Bezalel Academy of Art and Design announces the gift of $25 million from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. The lead gift, part of Bezalel Academy’s $100-million capital campaign, will fund the construction of the school’s new downtown campus, scheduled for completion in 2017. The 400,000-square foot building is designed by Japan’s SANAA (Sejima & Nishizawa and Associates) architecture firm in collaboration with Israel’s Nir -Kutz Architects, the team selected in an international competition.

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design New Downtown Jerusalem Campus:

image © SANAA

The new building will host classrooms, studios, offices, two auditoriums, an operational area and various workshops, addressing Bezalel’s need for breaking the traditional separation of the academy’s eight departments and allowing for a more active social and cultural involvement in the city’s life.

“We are deeply grateful and honored by this gift,” stated Professor Eva Illouz, President of Bezalel, “The new Bezalel campus will be home for the finest Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture in Israel. By virtue of this status, it is the leading institute for innovative thinking about Israeli culture in its entirety.”

Mr. Morton L. Mandel, Foundation Chairman and CEO, stated, “As part of our long-term relationship with Bezalel Academy, the Mandel Foundation welcomes the opportunity to assist Bezalel in building their new campus in downtown Jerusalem. The gift represents our desire to support Bezalel, the city of Jerusalem and the advancement of art in Israel.”

Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem, said “On behalf of the residents of Jerusalem, I would like to thank the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation for this momentous contribution to the new Bezalel campus in the heart of our city. The advent of a pioneering institution like Bezalel marks a historic turning point in the cultural renaissance of downtown Jerusalem. Attracting thousands of students, young people, and artists to the city center, the new site will ensure a bustling, vibrant and innovative Jerusalem – the global capital of creativity.”

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design New Downtown Jerusalem Campus:

image © SANAA

The Foundation, established in Cleveland, Ohio the by the three Mandel brothers in 1953, prioritizes higher education, Jewish education, social leadership and urban renewal and has been a longtime supporter of the Academy. In addition to sponsoring the Bezalel End of Year Graduate Exhibition for many years, the Foundation offices in Israel, have been building a collection of works of Bezalel students. The collection now includes over 100 pieces from the departments of Ceramics and Glass, Fine Art, and Photography.

The site of the new campus, located in the Russian Compound between the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Museum of Underground Prisoners, was chosen by the government of Israel, the Jerusalem municipality, and the Bezalel Academy for its unique status as a multi-cultural meeting place, unrivaled in the world. The move will allow the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design be part of a living, vibrant urban social texture while rejuvenating the downtown area by bringing young students and the spirit of art back to its streets.

“The new campus represents a breakthrough for the Academy, with a building that will respond to developing needs in light of the steady and significant increase in the number of our students,” said Dor Lin, Director of the Bezalel Academy, “At the same time, it is also great news for the revitalization of the Jerusalem city center.”

The need for a central building arises from the multi-disciplinary perception of contemporary arts, with digital technology as essential ingredient in the design process. Sejima and Nishizawa, the recipients of the Pritzker prize in 2010, who will present their final plans on June 10th, 2013, in Jerusalem, proposed a design composed of an array of horizontal slabs, stacked above one another, along the area’s topography. On the exterior, the connected slabs form a terraced roof overlooking the city. Inside, the architects created a series of central, multi-level spaces where students and teachers can meet, study and display their work, reflecting Bezalel Academy’s interdisciplinary approach that bridges the school’s eight departments and encourages co-creation.

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design New Downtown Jerusalem Campus:

image © SANAA

About Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

Established in 1906 by artist Boris Schatz, with the support of the founder of Modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, Bezalel is Israel’s leading academy of art and design, and one of the most prestigious in the world. As the first cultural institution of Israel, it has accumulated a historical depth that no other institution has and plays a major role in shaping the cultural identity of Israel.

The Bezalel experience is characterized by an interaction of tradition and ancient techniques with ever-changing, cutting-edge technologies across a broad and multi-faceted scope of artistic disciplines. Both the faculty and the student body are driven by a passion to create a meticulous attention to quality. These cornerstones, plus the Academy’s commitment to fostering creativity and opportunity amongst all communities in Israel, have positioned Bezalel at the center of Israel’s creative and artistic scene.

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem – external link

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

12 Sep 2011

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design new campus by SANAA

Jerusalem, Israel

Design: SANAA with Nir Kutz Architects

BEZALEL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN

WORLD FAMOUS ARCHITECTS CHOSEN TO DESIGN NEW CAMPUS FOR BEZALEL ACADEMY OF THE ARTS AND DESIGN, JERUSALEM

September 2011, Jerusalem: Japanese architecture firm, SANAA, in collaboration with the Israeli firm, Nir Kutz Architects, has been chosen to design the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design’s new campus in Jerusalem’s city center.

Bezalel Academy’s Board of Directors has accepted the Search Committee’s recommendation for the design of the new Bezalel campus in Jerusalem’s Russian compound. The Search Committee, chaired by Hertzel Habas, chairman of the Board of Governors at Bezalel, included Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, a past president of Hebrew University; Architect Orna Angel, member of Bezalel’s Board of Governors; Yuval Yasky, head of the Bezalel Academy’s Architecture Department; and Professor Arnon Zuckerman, president of the Bezalel Academy.

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem:

image from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem

The Search Committee made its recommendation to the Board of Directors for a collaboration between the Japanese architecture firm, SANAA (Sejima & Nishizawa and Associates) and the Israeli firm, Nir Kutz Architects.

Studio SANAA, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2010, is considered one of the most innovative and creative architecture firms worldwide. Its leading architects – Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa – are key figures in the contemporary architectural discourse. Buildings they have designed include the Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne – an academic center that has acquired status as an architectural pearl, as well as the New Museum of Contemporary Art in Manhattan. Sejima was also chosen to be the architecture curator at the recent Venice Biennale.

The decision to change architects stemmed from various considerations; the primary reason was a change in the municipality guidelines that lead to considerable changes in planning. The Bezalel Academy concluded that relations with Studyo, the German firm originally chosen for the project, left little room for progress.

Due to prior experience and in light of the changes to the project, the Academy came to the conclusion that it was necessary to choose a new architecture firm based on its professional capabilities and proven prior experience, a firm that would be able to handle such a large and complex project. Both the time constraints as well as the circumstantial changes led to a reevaluation of the design for the new campus.

Bezalel is exploring the possibility of building a somewhat smaller building in the Russian compound while using historic buildings in the area, thus creating a genuine urban change in the city center.

Already over the past couple of years, in proximity to the Russian Compound, Bezalel at Yafo 23 has housed the Masters of Urban Design program, continuing education programs and a Bezalel gallery space. This coming November, it will also house the new Masters degree program in Policy and Theory of the Arts.

Professor Arnon Zuckerman, president of the Bezalel Academy said: “SANAA is a highly reputable firm and I am confident that, together with Nir Kutz Architects, they will provide the best results for a project of this caliber and complexity. Designing an art academy in the heart of Jerusalem is a wonderful challenge and I am curious – as no doubt many others are – to see the results.”

About Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem

Bezalel is Israel’s leading academy of art and design, and one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world. Established in 1906, with the support of the founder of Modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, Bezalel is the source of some of the most creative talent emerging from the Middle East. Bezalel has built an international network of art and design excellence. Its alumni exhibit their work in the world’s leading venues, and the Academy is a focus and a destination for students and the creative community from across the globe.

Bezalel has a broad and multifaceted scope of professional and artistic activities involving both pioneering state-of-the-art design methods as well as ancient techniques. The academy offers workshops unparalleled anywhere else in Israel in a variety of fields that have seen many changes in the past decades: industrial design, architecture, animation & video art, visual communications, fine art, photography fashion & jewelry, history & theory and ceramics & glass.

Both the faculty and the student body are driven by a passion to create and by their meticulous attention to quality and excellence. These two cornerstones, plus the Academy’s commitment to fostering creativity and opportunity amongst all communities in Israel, have positioned Bezalel at the center of Israel’s creative and artistic scene, making it instrumental in shaping and enriching the country’s cultural identity.

www.bezalel.ac.il

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem image / information received 120911

SANAA

SANAA : Kazuyo Sejima (right) and Ryue Nishizawa (left)

picture © 2008 Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA
Photograph © Takashi Okamoto