Azrieli Center ( he, מֶרְכָּז עַזְרִיאֵלִי; ''Merkaz Azrieli'') is a complex of

skyscrapers A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. At the base of the center lies a large

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

. The center was originally designed by Israeli-American architect Eli Attia, and after he fell out with the developer of the center David Azrieli (after whom it is named), completion of the design was passed on to the Tel Aviv firm of Moore Yaski Sivan Architects.

Site

The Azrieli Center is located on a site in

, Israel, which was previously used as Tel Aviv's dumpster-truck parking garage. The project cost US$420,000,000.

Circular Tower

The Azrieli Center Circular Tower is the tallest of the three towers, measuring in height. Construction of this tower began in 1996 and was completed in 1999. The tower has 49 floors, making it at the time of its construction the tallest building in Tel Aviv and the second tallest in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, after the

Moshe Aviv Tower Moshe Aviv Tower ( he, מגדל משה אביב), is a skyscraper located in the demarcated area of the Diamond Exchange District ( Israel Diamond Exchange) on Jabotinsky Road (No. 7) in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. The 68-s ...

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and man ...

, which was built in 2001. The top floor has an indoor observation deck and a high-end restaurant, and the 48th floor is home to Mr. Azrieli's personal office. Each floor of the Circular Tower has 84 windows, giving the tower more than 4,000 windows. The tower's perimeter is ; its diameter is . Each floor covers . On October 31, 2003, the first annual Azrieli Circular Tower run-up competition was held, in which the participants ran up the 1,144 stairs to the tower's roof. Winners of the contest had the chance to participate in the following year's

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from " Empire State", the nickname of the ...

run-up competition in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Triangular Tower

The Azrieli Center Triangular Tower has a height of . Construction of this tower, like the circular tower, began in 1996 and was completed in 1999. It has 46 floors and its main occupant is

Bezeq Bezeq ( he, בזק) is an Israeli telecommunications company. Bezeq and its subsidiaries offer a range of telecom services, including fixed-line, mobile telephony, high-speed Internet, transmission, and pay TV (via Yes). History Bezeq was fou ...

, Israel's largest telecommunications company; Bezeq occupies 13 floors of the tower. The tower's cross-section is an

equilateral triangle In geometry, an equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length. In the familiar Euclidean geometry, an equilateral triangle is also equiangular; that is, all three internal angles are also congruent to each oth ...

Square Tower

The Azrieli Center Square Tower was completed in June 2007. The tower has 42 floors, and is 154m high. It is the shortest of the three towers in the Azrieli complex. Construction of the third tower was stopped in 1998 due to urban planning disagreements and was resumed in 2006. The lower 13 floors house Africa Israel's

Crowne Plaza Crowne Plaza is a British multinational chain of full service, upscale hotels headquartered in the United Kingdom. It caters to business travelers and the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family ...

business hotel. The upper floors are used as office space.

Shopping center

The Azrieli Center Mall is one of the largest in Israel. There are about 30 restaurants, fast-food counters, cafes and food stands in the mall. The top floor of the mall is a popular hangout spot for teens, and many online

message board An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

s arrange get-togethers there during national holidays. Due to high, constant terrorism threats, the Azrieli towers are guarded to deter terrorist action, like many buildings in Israel.

Other features

The large complex boasted an 8-screen cinema until 2010, when H&M took over the space. Azrieli also features a large fitness club, night schools, a small kid-focused

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

and a

pedestrian bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

leading to Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station. A second pedestrian bridge, completed in March 2003, connects the Azrieli Center with the other side of Begin Road and HaKirya. It is expected that a connection between Kaplan underpass and the project's underground carpark, which is one of the largest ever built in the region, will be constructed. When completed, the plot which the Center occupies will offer a 400-seat, open air auditorium.

Access

The Azrieli Center is bordered by the

Ayalon Highway Ayalon ( he, אַיָּלוֹן, איילון, ‘place of deer’) is the name of an Israeli placename and a Hebrew family name. It is the modern transliteration of Ajalon. It is derived from ( ‘deer’). It may refer to the following: Places ...

that crosses Tel Aviv from North to South,

Begin Road Begin Road is a major thoroughfare in Tel Aviv, Israel. It begins at Allenby Street and runs to its northern end which is at Arlozorov Interchange on Ayalon Highway. There is one interchange along Begin Road, Kaplan Interchange, located near Azri ...

and Giv'at HaTahmoshet Street (a short section that connects

Kaplan Street Kaplan Street is a major thoroughfare in central Tel Aviv, Israel, running from the Azrieli Center interchange on its eastern edge, to Ibn Gabirol Street on its western edge. History Named after Eliezer Kaplan, an important Israeli politician, ...

with HaShalom Road). It is situated next to the HaShalom Interchange on the Ayalon Highway. The center can be easily accessed from most parts of Israel by train to the Tel Aviv HaShalom Railway Station which is connected to the center by an enclosed pedestrian bridge or by one of the many buses that stop on Begin Road. In addition, the Tel Aviv Arlozorov Bus Terminal is located 1 kilometer north of the complex.

Future Azrieli Tower

The Azrieli Tower is a planned 350 meter high spiral skyscraper which will be incorporated into the Azrieli Center complex. The Azrieli Tower will be the tallest in Israel when completed surpassing the current tallest skyscraper;

Azrieli Sarona Tower The Azrieli Sarona Tower is a skyscraper in the Sarona neighborhood, Tel Aviv, Israel, on Begin Road. It is high with 61 floors. It is the tallest building in Israel, followed by Ramat Gan's 235-meter-high Moshe Aviv Tower. Construction hi ...

. However, ToHa Tower 2, due to be completed in 2024, will be the tallest tower in Israel at .

Gallery

Image:Azriely Center 02.JPG, Ground level view of the Complex Image:Azriely Center 07.JPG, Fountain at the Azrieli Complex Image:Azriely Center 12.JPG, Bridge connecting foot traffic to the Complex File:Tel Aviv Skyline (night) - 2.jpg, Azrieli Center at night

References

External links

Catch up for Tower 3
- World Architecture News {{Shopping Malls in Israel Office buildings completed in 1999 Skyscrapers in Tel Aviv Postmodern architecture Shopping malls in Israel Tourist attractions in Tel Aviv Skyscraper hotels Skyscraper office buildings in Israel Skyscrapers in Israel Residential skyscrapers in Israel 1999 establishments in Israel