ron arad designs tel aviv office tower from an 'upside down perspective'

ron arad has completed ‘ToHa’, a large-scale office development in the center of tel aviv. the project, which arad worked on alongside local architect avner yashar, involved the conversion of a 1.8 hectare site into a 29-story building with a total area in excess of 200,000 square meters (2,152,782 sqf). the scheme also offers commercial facilities and a landscaped public space. the structure was designed from an ‘upside down perspective’, with the building becoming gradually wider as it grows taller. 

all images by fernando alda

arad and yashar sculpted the design to complement the varied site constraints, maximize solar shading, while facilitating natural daylight for every desk within the office floor-plates. with a minimal footprint, the iceberg-shaped building is elevated upon slim core structures that contain the technical plant — allowing the roof to serve as a publicly accessible restaurant and observation deck.

more than 28,000 square meters of dekton by cosentino clad the structure, appearing on the ventilated façades, flooring, elevators, ceilings, and interior partitions. the dekton pieces, fabricated in 10,000 varied shapes, were produced and cut at the cosentino headquarters in spain before being transported by sea to tel aviv. inside, a large 30-meter atrium functions as a lobby and gathering place. the offices, which start at the seventh floor, enjoy views of the city and a centrally positioned courtyard.

project info:

name: ToHa
location: tel aviv, israel
works finished: 2019
architecture: arad architects, yashar architects (execution executive architect)
partners: buro happold engineering, israel david engineering (construction engineer)
client: gav-yam amot totseret ha-aretz
photography: fernando alda