![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/88d8/63c0/1756/4c00/0a11/newsletter/TEO7.jpg?1605011652)
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Architects: Asaf Lerman
- Area: 2500 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Amit Geron, Nimrod Levy, Daniel Finkelstein
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Ackerstein
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/879e/63c0/1775/9b00/0d03/newsletter/HERZLIA-13.jpg?1605011350)
Text description provided by the architects. In a beachside residential area of Herzliya, TEO (the Theodor Herzl Center for Culture, Art and Content) comes into view as a distinct single storey building, eminently lower than the neighborhood’s enclosed private mansions. The freestanding TEO opens up a wide panorama toward the west—the horizon over the ocean—thus rupturing the visual and social narrative of walled luxury villas this area of Herzliya is known for. The insertion of a fully exposed public cultural center as an event in the surrounding urban-scape was key to the design strategy.
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/8abb/63c0/1756/4c00/0a15/newsletter/TEO5.jpg?1605012133)
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Image 13 of 14](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/9467/63c0/1756/4c00/0a25/newsletter/TEO_Plan.jpg?1605014502)
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Interior Photography, Table, Chair](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/8ad6/63c0/1775/9b00/0d0f/newsletter/TEO6.jpg?1605012159)
TEO provides a unique functional facility to the city’s art-practicing and culture-seeking residents. The plan is designed as a 50 by 50 meters square layout around an offset central patio surrounded by the various programs: a music conservatory, a dance school, art and ceramics studios, a gallery, a senior recreation center and a cafeteria. An upper partial floor houses a library complemented by a 300 m2 open deck.
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/8aa1/63c0/1775/9b00/0d0d/newsletter/TEO3.jpg?1605012105)
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Image 12 of 14](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/93e1/63c0/1775/9b00/0d24/newsletter/TEO_Sections.jpg?1605014365)
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/8a86/63c0/1775/9b00/0d0b/newsletter/TEO2.jpg?1605012080)
The uniqueness of the design lies in the coherence of a precise geometric module that is strictly enforced throughout. Concrete (on site casts & precast units), textured glass and metal flow seamlessly from exterior to interior surfaces. Cutting-edge sealing techniques were used to protect the building from rain while maintaining its flat roof silhouette and tight proportions.
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/8870/63c0/1756/4c00/0a0f/newsletter/TEO1.jpg?1605011486)
The patio (292 m2) makes available a space of quiet and welcoming scale. The floated, draining floor provides a pleasing horizontal surface from which a single mature oak tree rises. Direct sunlight from above dynamically projects its presence across the patio’s surfaces, creating ever-changing visual compositions of organic against geometrical form.
![Theodor Herzl Center / Asaf Lerman - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5faa/88bc/63c0/1775/9b00/0d05/newsletter/TEO4.jpg?1605011576)