Page 296 - The Architecture of Nadler-Nadler-Bixon-Gil

1995–2010 Lerner Sports Center, the
Hebrew University, Mount
Scopus, Jerusalem

On the basis of a proposal from the 1970s

Site plan, 1995 The inception of the sports center on Mount Scopus
1995 ,‫תוכנית אתר‬ began with a commission the firm received at the 1970s,
following the demolition of the sports center designed
p. 292: Sports halls, 2010 by Erich Mendelsohn in the 1930s. The original plan was
2010 ,‫ אולמות כושר‬:292 '‫עמ‬ characterized by a massive structure, with aesthetic
gestures to the Jerusalem building tradition in the form
293 of allusions to internal courtyards and arches. Unable
to raise sufficient funds, the work was deferred until
the mid-1990s, when the Lerner family (owner of sport
centers in the US) made a donation. Yet as the funds
did not cover the entire project, a plan was created that
could be implemented in stages. To date 5,000 m² have
been gradually built, including a basketball court, a
swimming pool, a gym and a cafeteria accomodating
the students at the Mount Scopus campus. A new wing
planned for the future will hold a spa.

The sports center is located on the southern
slopes of Mount Scopus facing the old city. Building
height limitations were imposed by a nearby British army
cemetery that asked to maintain the open view between
the historical cemetery and the old city, therefore the
building was submerged in the ground. Yet unlike the
firm’s earlier Jerusalem projects, here they did not
construct a monumental building and made no attempt
to reinterpret the city’s stone wall cladding. The sports
center was built in the shape of a campus comprising
various functions and wings, joined together by a