The Need

The architecture competition for the new college complex in Ein Kerem was an opportunity to enhance the symbiosis between the values of the IDF and the chosen location: the evergreen forests surrounding Jerusalem.

The Vision

An olive branch inspired the core principle of the plan that includes a central pathway from which the buildings spread diagonally in two central rows down the ridge.

Inspired by Jerusalemite icons, the campus is planned as an iconic element for both the city of Jerusalem and the IDF, and a symbol for modern Zionism and leadership.

The Design

The V-shaped arrangement of structures is gradually revealed to the visitor upon entering the gate towards the classrooms, and offers different viewpoints from the college outwards and from the immediate surroundings inwards. A mast, or rather a lighthouse, is erected in the main square, which acts as a focal identity point. The light symbolizes the values that comprise the officer and the commander, future leaders of the IDF, whose characters are shaped in this college. It is also the passage plan between the horizontal levels – from the underground parking lot to the main square.