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The Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences
The Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences
Architects: Raphael Lerman and Dror Sdomi (in collaboration with Prof. Edna Shaviv)
The Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences was designed by Raphael Lerman and Dror Sdomi in 1995, in collaboration with Prof. Edna Shaviv – all three architects. The design was dictated by the building’s function: the study of the environment. This is a “green” building; it embodies the principle of sustainability: preserving a balance between society and the environment, to the detriment of neither, while taking heed of the future. Green construction standards now exist throughout the world, the most famous being the U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system, which served as a guide for the 2005 Israeli standard for green buildings. That standard defines a variety of criteria: the use of environmentally friendly materials (recycled or stemming from renewable resources), energy-saving measures and waste management.
A number of green components are readily apparent on the exterior of the Sussman Building: the vegetation that surrounds the building, sun-deflecting grids for keeping the glass cool and planted areas in the central patio of the building and on the roofs, including a flat roof with greenhouses for absorbing hot air and channeling it into the air-conditioning ducts that also heat the rooms in winter.
About a dozen different technologies for saving electricity were implemented in the building. The seminar room has ceiling fans that reduce the need for air-conditioning; the labs have pale-colored windowsills that reflect light into the interior. Electricity circuits for areas close to the windows have been separated from those situated in the depths of the building, where illumination is not aided by sunlight.
The architect Dagan Mochly was responsible for the interior design of the building, including the labs. These labs have fume hoods, the first of their kind in Israel, that slow down when there is no movement in the room and work in coordination with the air-conditioning system to prevent cooled air from leaking through the hood. A cylindrical chimney makes it possible to release fumes to the atmosphere safely, at a relatively great height. Finally, all the furniture and materials used for interior decoration are environmentally friendly.
The building consumes 50% less energy compared with regular labs. In the wake of its construction and in line with the world trend, green construction began to develop in Israel.
