Prize(s) Winners in Cultural Building Lighting Design
Company L'Observatoire International
Lead Designers Hervé Descottes
Other Designer's names Carlos Garcia, Papon Kasettratat, Jeff Taylor
Client Simon Wiesenthal Center
Photo Credits Shai Gil, L'Observatoire International
Other Credits Aedas, Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, Yigal Levi Architects, HB3 Associates
Completion Date 2023
Project Location Jerusalem, Israel
Entry DescriptionThe Museum of Tolerance, designed by Bracha Chyutin, Michael Chyutin, Jacques Dahan, and Ariel Noyman, is located in the heart of modern Jerusalem, in the neighborhood of Mamilla and adjacent to Independence Park. Planned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the museum and its campus will welcome visitors from all religious and cultural backgrounds, offering interactive exhibitions, cultural and educational programming. We have been involved in the project since its inception, designing all lighting for the museum’s interior public spaces—including two auditoriums, the lobby, café and shop—as well as the landscaped plaza.
The folded planar surfaces of the museum harmonize the building with the surrounding natural and urban landscapes. The dual-sided nature of the site is represented in the materiality of the three-story structure, facing the city with a stone facadewhile a fully glazed elevation fronts the park.
The lighting design lends the museum an ephemerality by highlighting its glazed ground level. The wash of light creates a sense of weightlessness in the stone facade above. The museum seems to hover over the site, touching down with only a light footprint and presenting an inviting entry to its visitors.
Company DescriptionL’Observatoire International is a lighting design firm, founded in 1993 by Hervé Descottes.
