DMA submitted this entry to the competition to design a new Art and Architecture Academy in Jerusalem. The Academy's desire to provide a creative, interactive, and supportive environment on an around-the-clock basis--crucial to the "culture of diffusion"--is the focus of the architectural concept. By investing dynamism in the project's edges, the design encourages spontaneous encounters between departments.
The distribution of the building program and the building massing are shaped by opportunities for using daylight, sunlight, outdoor spaces, and light courts. The ever-changing play of ambient daylight and strong sunlight is organized by various design elements, including north-facing light scoops, light shelves, open-air latticeworks, planes of recessed glass, and metal and glass canopy systems. Advanced glazing materials utilize nanotechnology to automatically darken and lighten for sun control.