The Botanical gardens events center is located within the newly added floor over the existing 1980 structure. The interior spaces have been designed by Matti Rosenshine Architects, the building exterior was designed by Shlomo Aranson Architects.
Project Name: Botanical Garden
Studio Name: Matti Rosenshine Architects
Architects : Matti Rosenshine Architects
Area : 6000 m²
Year : 2020
Location: ISRAEL
Photographs: Ilan Nahum, Michael Shvedron
The original crescent shaped structure is oriented towards the central garden pond and is clad with roughly hewn Jerusalem stone, as required by local building codes.
The inspiration for the interior architectural language is drawn from the immediate context of the gardens – Natural organic forms of plants, tree and leaf structures.
With the intention of creating a complete contrast with traditional Jerusalem language, predominantly characterized by stone and plaster, the interior spaces are almost completely built from wood. Bleached Oak wood is realized in various textures and forms to create a strong dialogue with the surrounding exterior, reminiscent of natural organic forms.
The design intent was to create an experience of entering a forest, leaving the city, where the light quality changes and we become engulfed in a different experience. With the movement of the sun, the thin wood fins which wrap the concave interior create a dynamic experience of light and shadow. The elevator shafts are clad with planes of wood in an organic arrangement, similar to large tree trunks which climb up to the ceiling creating a continuous cover of folded wood surfaces. The gallery is built as a tree house for intimate gatherings.
MRA
Since MRA was established in 1997, our Jerusalem based studio has designed a wide array of projects ranging from intimate residential interiors to large-scale public facilities.
Driven by the belief that fine architecture and design have a positive impact on our lives, we strive to carefully integrate the functional requirements of our clients without compromising our high standard of design.
While we are comfortable designing within the timeless vocabularies of traditional architecture, we are deeply interested in the creation of bright and airy contemporary architecture that blurs the boundary between interior and exterior spaces.
We feel privileged to have our studio in Jerusalem, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on the city’s ancient and multi layered past whilst creating rich spaces and experiences for modern living. We embrace the opportunity to work within challenging urban contexts, and are intrigued with the challenge of integrating complex historic buildings into contemporary structures. This often requires working closely with craftsmen to test and refine details that bridge centuries of architecture.
We thoroughly enjoy the organic process of architecture, regardless of scale and are involved intimately with each of our projects, resolving conflicts and finding new opportunities from conception to completion.
