The six teams selected to participate in the second phase of design concept development for the New Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Center at Tel Aviv University (TAU) met representatives of the school and KB STRELKA in Tel Aviv, where a series of events were held.
The seminar included a tour of the Tel Aviv University campus, a visit to the project site, and the delivery of a detailed building program to the architects. The six participants were presented information about the campus history and its specific culture.
Architects among the teams had the opportunity to visit the current TAU Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology where TAU representatives gave them a tour of the existing building and discussed the specific nature and challenges of nanoscience laboratories. TAU representatives used the seminar to present their vision of the project. In addition, Competition Office KB STRELKA introduced seminar participants to the brief and the detailed building program, which were both prepared by the competition office.
The shortlisted companies, who received $50,000 commissions to develop design concepts, are:
- Atelier d'Architecture Michel Rémon (France)
- Office of Architecture in Barcelona (Spain)
- Zarhy Architects (Israel) + STUDIOPEZ (Switzerland)
- ELEMENTAL S.A. (Chile)
- Jestico + Whiles + Associates (UK)
- wHY (USA)
The two-stage competition was launched in early October 2015 and received 128 submissions from 28 countries. During the pre-selection stage, entries were ranked and twenty-one architectural firms were chosen to continue to the first selection stage. The jury conducted remote competitive dialogues with the teams, which they used to select the shortlist of six participants. Selected candidates had to submit a competition entry and commercial proposal, and also undergo an interview with TAU officials. The winner will be announced after a round of negotiations between the finalists and the University in May, 2016.
KB STRELKA is the leading Russian strategic consultancy in architecture, urban planning, cultural and spatial programming.
Learn more about the competition here.
