BGU Buildings Garner Prestigious Architectural Awards
BGU Buildings Garner Prestigious Architectural Awards
March 11, 2009
Business & Management, Negev Development & Community Programs, Press Releases
LOS ANGELES, March 11 , 2009 — Two buildings at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), designed by Raquel Vert of Los Angeles-based Vert Architects, were awarded first prize in two different categories in the “Best Project of the Year 2008/9 Competition.”
Vert Architects received the two prestigious first prizes for outstanding architectural design of the Deichmann Building for Community Action and the Spitzer-Salant Building for the Department of Social Work, which form a single complex at Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel.
The buildings were awarded first prize for Best Project of 2008/9 by the European Union out of 300 entries from around the world.
This competition is a most prestigious and influential architectural contest in Europe and Israel. The renowned architect Richard Meir was chairman of the international panel of judges.
The BGU complex also received the Yuli Offer first prize for “Advancing Architecture in Israel,” a prize awarded to the top three projects submitted for all categories in the Best Project of 2008/9 competition.
In 2004, Vert established a branch office in Israel and was commissioned to design the Spitzer-Salant Building for the Department of Social Work and the Deichmann Building for Community Action on the Marcus Family Campus of the University.
The buildings comprise an integrated complex that defines the entrance to BGU through a piazza that links the town of Beer-Sheva with the campus.
The connection was a priority of the BGU administration in meeting its obligation to reach out to the citizens of the Negev beyond the University boundaries.
According to architect Raquel Vert, “The buildings’ form have a bold, playful and sculptural spirit, with a tilted concrete wall sitting in water holding a floating cubic structure and a curved metal wall penetrating the building through sheets of glass, all enforcing a sense of indoor-outdoors.
“Truly, as important as the prestige of these awards, is the knowledge that our design has succeeded in its goal of opening BGU to the city, linking the University’s academic life with the history of Beer-Sheva and establishing a cultural core for the entire community,” Vert explains.
“We hope that these buildings inspire those who study at BGU to achieve and transmit innovative knowledge to the State of Israel and the global society.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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