Concrete Thinking: How the Azrieli School of Architecture is Redrawing the Blueprint for Education and Urban Design
On the western frontier of Tel Aviv University’s campus, something more than a building is rising. The new Azrieli School of Architecture isn’t just a hub for academic pursuit, it’s an architectural manifesto, a bold reimagining of how educational spaces can shape both minds and cities.
At first glance, the structure impresses with its sleek, modern lines and ambitious scale an 8,000-square-meter complex that replaces the traditional perimeter fence with a striking, public-facing facade. But its real innovation lies in its purpose: it is architecture as curriculum.
“This building teaches,” says Professor Eran Neuman, Dean of the Arts at TAU. “It’s a structure that demonstrates the very principles we want students to internalize openness, responsibility, sustainability, and civic engagement.”
From Campus Edge to Urban Interface
Designed by TAU alumni Lior Tsiono and Lior Vitakun themselves products of the school, they now help reshape the building and turn conventional campus design inside out. Instead of retreating inward, it embraces the street. This so-called fence building does more than mark a boundary; it invites the city in.
It features not only classrooms and studios, but a community-minded plaza, a public library, a digital research lab, and even an archive that welcomes both scholars and citizens. “This is not an ivory tower,” Prof. Neuman asserts. “It’s a platform for interaction with ideas, with people, with the city itself.”
Built to Teach, Built to Last
Equally important is the building’s green DNA. Targeting platinum-level ecological certification, it’s designed as a paragon of sustainability. Passive ventilation, efficient energy systems, and environmentally responsible materials ensure it stands as a teaching tool not only for design, but for climate ethics.
“Students today must be climate-literate architects,” Neuman says. “They need to build in ways that protect the future, not just impress the present.”
Architecture Meets Aspiration
Symbolism runs deep in the foundation of this project. It embodies a full-circle moment: former students creating the next-generation incubator for innovation. And thanks to the Azrieli Foundation which has championed the cause of education, social responsibility, and design excellence across Israel that vision has tangible roots.
The University has acknowledged this partnership by awarding Danna Azrieli an honorary doctorate in 2025. Recognized for her visionary leadership as chair of the Azrieli Group and her wide-reaching philanthropy, Azrieli is a force behind the school’s evolution into a global beacon.
A Global Conversation Starts Here
The ambition doesn’t stop at the gates of Tel Aviv. The school is designed to serve as an international hub, attracting leading minds from Harvard, MIT, and beyond. With its state-of-the-art infrastructure and cross-border collaborations, the building positions Tel Aviv University not only as a leader in Israeli urbanism but as a player in the global dialogue on design and sustainability.
A Living Laboratory
Expected to be completed in two years, the building is already rising physically and metaphorically as a symbol of what the future of education and urban planning can look like.
“This isn’t just a place where we study the city,” Prof. Neuman says. “It’s a place where we learn to build better ones.”
In a country grappling with rapid urbanization and historical planning missteps, the Azrieli School of Architecture stands as a radical, concrete assertion: that the future is not only designed in studios but lived in the streets.
And in this case, the classroom is the city.
