The 6 Remez tower is an unusual residential tower in several aspects. Perhaps most striking is its structural system, which uses an off-center core and minimal interior columns, a design move more common to office buildings, so as to afford wide, sweeping views to occupants and maximum flexibility for tenant improvements.
The core has two lobbies on each typical floor. The front lobby acts as a reception area, which can be considered an extension of the apartments themselves, while the second lobby is located in the back for service purposes. This concept dramatically enhances firefighter safety, by defining the back lobby as a safe deployment space on each floor.
Aesthetically, the tower reads as a complete object, sidestepping volumetric complexity in favor of simplicity. The composition is that of a monolithic urban sculpture, wrapped in a lace-like glass skin. The inner glass shades create a rhythm of gentle hues and textures, which account for the light and shimmering appearance of the tower. This is the first time that a tower façade has been entirely covered with an aluminum wire mesh, which also serves to conceal the VRV (Variable Refrigerant Volume) system located in each apartment.
A new curtain-wall system was developed for this project with Kawneer. This system includes an inward-opening window. This specific detail played a crucial part in shaping the overall appearance of the structural curtain wall, which also incorporates shades in the spandrels as well as in the vision glass. The low-E coating complements the shading system, while low-iron exterior glass affords thermal values appropriate to the hot climate. Electronically operated Venetian blinds complete the protective system. The effect of all these elements working together is to create a unique texture for the whole tower.
The tower is located in the heart of Tel Aviv, next to a main east-west urban axis. Oriented west, toward the sea, the tower’s plan is asymmetrical, and serves to connecting the tower to its urban and functional context. The balconies all face west, while smooth glass facades create a clean geometric volume on the north and south sides, beyond which the balconies do not extend. The aluminum wire mesh forms the finish material for the core exterior concrete walls, and is carefully articulated in two directions, creating an constantly changing appearance as the sun arcs overhead throughout the day.
The project includes a small park north of the tower. Plantings in the park are located strategically so as to minimize undesirable wind effects from the tower for park users. With a subtle entrance via the garden, rather than directly from the street, the park is open to the public at all times. Its landscape design is based upon the typology of a leaf in plan view, and features reflecting and biological pools. The arrangement of the basement, car park and overall building footprint leave 20 percent of the plot free of built structures or hardscapes, in order to allow water to penetrate the soil naturally. In these ways, the park mitigates the effects of the tower’s height, allowing it to intervene gently in the existing urban fabric, while giving the public a place to dwell.
