The Façade of Building: Exposed Building Envelope Technologies in Modern Israeli Architecture

Abstract

Exposed building technologies can be defined as the fusion of performative and aesthetic aspects of a building envelope in a single, homogenous building part. Such technologies reflect a design approach that rejects the more conventional modern division between the structural elements of a building facade and the external finishes that conceal them. The integration of the structural, technical and aesthetic functions of the building envelope in a single element calls for higher level of precision and sophistication in architectural detailing and construction craftsmanship.

This article examines the history of three exposed building technologies in Israel: exposed silicate brickwork, exposed concrete (‘architectural concrete’), and glazed curtain walls. Although an argument can be made that exposed building technologies receive special interest from designers mainly because they may reflect a higher level of technical skill and expertise (of the architect and the builder), a historical analysis of the Israeli cases leads to a different conclusion. As the article demonstrates, the three technologies were embraced and promoted by Israeli architects not because of their technical properties or tectonic complexity, but because of their capacity to evoke cultural, political, social, and economic values through their visual appearance.