Check Point Building

The Check-Point Building for the Faculty of Computer Science and for science-oriented youth is located in the centre of the campus, between the buildings of the Physics and Mathematics Faculties and the Dan David building. The building is designed to enable separation between the two groups of users, and yet to encourage informal meetings between them, by allowing the joint use of some facilities, such as the auditorium and large classrooms. Sustainability has been of major concern during the design process. The building comprises shaded and wind-ventilated courtyards, appropriately orientated with respect to sun and wind. Double-skin facades permit ventilation and shading. The design syntax of the building, inspired by the image and vision of cloud computing, endeavours to rise above the heavy material world of construction, into the virtual de-materialized world of computers and software: a building appearing substantial as well as transparent; a building continuously changing, prominent in its environment but also merging with the sky and clouds. The building envelope, composed of glass pixels, is unique and innovative, based on the values this building represents and was designed by computerized planning parameters. This system, unique but simple to implement, is composed of glass tiles with variable transparencies, calculated with an algorithm specifically developed according to the needs for transparency and the amount of light required for each of the internal functions of the building.