Azrieli Center
Encyclopedia
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. At the base of the center lies a large shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. The center was originally designed by Israeli-American architect Eli Attia, and after he fell out with the developer of the center David Azrieli
David Azrieli
David Joshua Azrieli, is a Canadian real estate tycoon, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of $US 3.1 billion , Azrieli was ranked by Forbes as the 8th wealthiest Canadian and 362nd in the world....
(after whom it is named), completion of the design was passed on to the Tel Aviv firm of Moore Yaski Sivan Architects
Moore Yaski Sivan Architects
Moore Yaski Sivan Architects is one of the largest and more influential architecture firms in Tel Aviv and Israel in general. It was founded in 1965 by Avraham Yaski, and has been involved in some of the most high-profile skyscraper projects in the country, such as the Azrieli Center, YOO Towers...
.
Site
The Azrieli Center is located on a 34,500 square meter site in Tel Aviv, Israel which was previously used as Tel Aviv's dumpster-truck parking garage. The $350,000,000 project revitalized the area. The Fain Towers are now expected to be built directly across HaShalom Road.Circular Tower
The Azrieli Center Circular Tower, is the tallest of the three towers, measuring 187 m (614 ft) in height. Construction of this tower began in 1996 and was completed in 1999. The tower has 49 floors, making it the tallest building in Tel Aviv and the second tallest in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, after the Moshe Aviv Tower in Ramat Gan built in 2001. The top floor has an indoor observation deck and a high-end restaurant, and the 48th floor is home to Mr. Azrieli's personal office.
Each floor of the Circular Tower has 84 windows, giving the tower more than 4,000 windows. The tower's perimeter is 141 meters (462 feet); its diameter is 44 meters (144 feet). Each floor covers 1,520 m².
On October 31, 2003, the first annual Azrieli Circular Tower run-up competition was held, in which the participants had to run up the 1,144 stairs to the tower's roof. Winners of the contest had the chance to participate in the following year's Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
run-up competition in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Triangular Tower
The Azrieli Center Triangular Tower has a height of 169 m (554 ft). Construction of this tower, like the circular tower, began in 1996 and was completed in 1999. It has 46 floors and its largest occupant is BezeqBezeq
Bezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
, Israel's largest telecommunications company, who occupy 13 floors of the tower. The tower's cross-section is an equilateral triangle.
Square Tower
The Azrieli Center Square Tower was completed in June 2007. The tower has 42 floors, and is 154m high. It is the shortest of the three towers in the Azrieli complex. Construction of the third tower was stopped in 1998 due to urban planning disagreements and was resumed in 2006.The lower 13 floors house Africa Israel's Crowne Plaza
Crowne Plaza
Crowne Plaza is a chain of full service, upscale hotels catering to business travelers and to the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands, which include InterContinental and Holiday Inn and operates in 52 countries, usually located in...
business hotel. The upper floors are used as office space.
Shopping center
The Azrieli Center Mall is one of the largest in Israel. There are about 30 restaurants, fast-food counters, cafes and food stands in the mall. The top floor of the mall is a popular hangout spot for teens, and many online message boards arrange get-togethers in the place during national holidays.Due to high, constant terrorism threats, the Azrieli towers are guarded to deter terrorist action, like many buildings in Israel.
Other features
The large complex boasted an 8-screen cinema until 2010 when Retailers H&M took over the space, a large fitness club, night schools and is also connected by bridge to Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway StationTel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station is one of the busiest railway stations in Israel, serving most lines of Israel Railways. It is located on HaShalom Interchange over Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv...
. A pedestrian bridge, completed on March 2003, connects the Azrieli Center with the other side of Begin Road and HaKirya
HaKirya
HaKirya, or The Kirya , is an area in central Tel Aviv, containing various government structures, including the major Israel Defense Forces base, Camp Rabin , named for Yitzhak Rabin...
. It is expected that a connection between Kaplan underpath and the project's underground carpark, which is one of the largest ever built in the region, will be constructed. When completed, the 34,500 m² plot which the Center occupies, will offer a 400-seat, open air auditorium.
Access
The Azrieli Center is bordered by the Ayalon Highway that crosses Tel Aviv from North to South, Begin Road and Giv'at HaTahmoshet Street (a short section that connects Kaplan StreetKaplan Street
Kaplan Street is a major thoroughfare in central Tel Aviv, Israel, running from the Azrieli Center interchange on its eastern edge, to Ibn Gabirol Street on its western edge. Named after Eliezer Kaplan, an important Israeli politician, the street connects the city center to the Ayalon Highway, and...
with HaShalom Road). It is situated next to the HaShalom Interchange on the Ayalon Highway.
The center can be easily accessed from most parts of Israel by train to the Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station is one of the busiest railway stations in Israel, serving most lines of Israel Railways. It is located on HaShalom Interchange over Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv...
which is connected to the center by an enclosed pedestrian bridge or by one of the many buses that stop on Begin Road. In addition, the Tel Aviv Arlozorov Bus Terminal
Tel Aviv 2000 Terminal
2000 Terminal, more commonly known as Arlozorov Terminal, is a bus terminal in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is located near the border of Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, next to Ayalon Highway and the junction of several traffic arteries - Jabotinsky Road that leads to Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak and Petah Tikva, Begin...
is located 1 kilometer north of the complex.
See also
- Malha Mall
- List of skyscrapers in Israel
- List of shopping malls in Israel
- YOO Towers
External links
- Catch up for Tower 3 - World Architecture News