Peres Peace House opens in Israel
An opening ceremony of the Peres Peace House in Jaffa, by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, was held last week. The Centre for Peace is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Israel that promotes peace across the Middle East by arranging meetings between Palestinian and Israeli youth and encouraging co-operation and mutual understanding.
The 2,500 square metre structure stands on a plaza with steps leading down to the Mediterranean Sea. Its irregularly shaped green concrete and glass layers filter the light through to the inside by day and emit artificial light from the building by night.
A light well opens from ground floor with a reception and exhibition area to the glass roof, which contains a library. On the remaining six floors, each covering a space of 600 square metres, there are office facilities for the Peres Foundation, meeting rooms, a recreation area for children, a 200 seat auditorium, a press conference hall, service areas and ten flats on the top floor.
Fuksas referred to the scheme as being of “profound ethical significance” and aimed for the building to stand for “time and patience in strata of alternating materials representing places that have suffered heavily.”
A light well opens from ground floor with a reception and exhibition area to the glass roof, which contains a library. On the remaining six floors, each covering a space of 600 square metres, there are office facilities for the Peres Foundation, meeting rooms, a recreation area for children, a 200 seat auditorium, a press conference hall, service areas and ten flats on the top floor.
Fuksas referred to the scheme as being of “profound ethical significance” and aimed for the building to stand for “time and patience in strata of alternating materials representing places that have suffered heavily.”