Português

info

Jerusalem, Israel
2007

text

The project intends to give an answer to the competition request trying to establish a strong image and at the same time contextualized with the place.

A great mountain furrowed by deep sulcus.

The idea/concept, on wich the projectual proposal is established, is related to the configurations of a volumetry from the image of a stone mass erosioned by natural agents. The different proposed volumes correspond to the functional areas of the diferent departments and the empty spaces establhish a relation of controled natural illuminations and ventilation, depending on the local climate characteristics.

The programme and place conditions have been the elements that guided the architectonic options with the purpose of respecting the area limits, the heights of the sorounding buildings, the requested areas and the materials pointed out in the competition programme.

The complexity of the Academy’s programme, suggested the construction of parallelipedic bodies where the autonomy and identity has its origin in the diferent departments of the programme.

Each volume is configured almost as an autonomous building in wich common moments exist that allow the meeting of the different functional areas through a system of horizontal and vertical circulations. The vertical access system, composed by stairs and elevators sets, localized on the top west of each volume connects all the floors and assures the quick circulation between all the departments.

The building is carried through with local stone blocks of considerable proportions and the block’s joints form in the vertical glass openings that provide an apropriate interior illumination and with the necessary termic control.

The exterior walls and pavement covering system geometry defines a modular grid of about 90x180 cm, forming displacements in the walls in the vertical direction almost evoking the stone quarrys textures.

A set of glazed suspended passages produce the horizontal articulations without losing the mass concept of the petrus building. This solution will allow the visual alignments to the city’s historical centre to prevail.

The limitation of the building’s thickness at 9 metres, besides allowing structural eficiency and a thickness that provides a correct natural ventilation and illumination system, intends to propose a dimension at the scale of the user providing clear and easly recognisable circuits and at the same time a great interaction between the common activities of the Academy.

The 3 metres width of the gardens between the various department bodies, suggest the dimension of the pedonal circuits, only with the exception of the access ramp to the parking-place that should have a width of 5 metres. Vegetation will produce micro-gardens accessible through the -2 floor localized at the lower street level.

The project foresees the creation of two pedonal accesses. One opened directly to the public space at the Basilica level, the other in the same alignment but located at the lower street level. The entrances that develop between the floors 0 and -2, incorporate the functions of common use and provide the space visualization in all its vertical dimension.

The central space that corresponds to the volume inserted under the public space, transforms itself in the privileged moment of the Academy by having some of common services that serve the entire school community: the canteen, the bar, the auditoryum, sportive space and cult space.