Building on Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus Legacy

Creating new designs for an area with a strong architectural history is always a challenge, but in Tel Aviv Penda is rising to the occasion. Designed to complement the city’s Bauhaus legacy, the practice’s design for the Tel Aviv Arcades will take the style into the modern era when it begins construction in 2019

Designed to build on Tel Aviv’s strong Bauhaus legacy, Penda’s design for the residential Tel Aviv Arcades combines modern modular construction techniques with design details that carefully represent the city’s architectural past.

The geometric repetition of curves and straight lines draws strongly from Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus era, while the hand-laid brickwork that gives the building its finish is designed as a nod to Jaffa, the city’s old town.

"When I first walked through Tel Aviv, I was taken by the vividness on its streets and its shores," said Penda co-founder Chris Precht. "The rhythm of lively plazas, traditional context and modern architecture inspired me and had a deep impact on the design of the building."

For residents of the 116m-high apartment block, the design also provides privacy, with each balcony offering private shaded areas and sunny spaces where occupants can interact with their neighbours while enjoying dramatic urban views. 

"We like to think about those large outdoor zones as private yards in the sky with zones where residents can interact with their neighbours," said Precht. "In a way the terraces are a vertical neighbourhood and they reflect the positive atmosphere of the life in the city."

Inside, apartments range in size from one to four bedrooms, while a residents pool, spa, restaurant and yoga studio among the common area facilities.