Sheba Central Kitchen & Rooftop Park

Industrial buildings push our creativity to its limit, and this project was no exception. From a functional perspective, our mission was clear – create a kitchen complex that could serve 2,000 patients and 7,000 staff members every day. But dropping a 5,000 sqm building that stands 10 meters tall at the new entrance of a large hospital complex without making it an eyesore wouldn’t be easy. Our mission was to make the building virtually invisible. During the land survey we saw the topography of the land rises about 5 meters from the southern end to the northern end. Taking advantage of natural land features could help us hide the building in plain sight.

We decided to excavate the land and construct nearly half of the building underground. When complete, the roof was at level with the ground on the north side of the building. Hiding part of the building underground wasn’t enough. To complete the illusion of an invisible building, we placed a berm around one side of the perimeter and covered it in flowers. Just above the berm, a line of windows provides natural light to employees down below while giving off the impression that this building was an ordinary, attractive office building.

Pedestrians coming from the north side don’t see a building at all. In front of them is a 4,000 sqm park, complete with sitting areas, walking paths, gardens, and a café. The kitchen is about function, but the park is about hope. It offers sanctuary to those suffering from medical conditions and a break for those overworked doctors, nurses, and staff who tirelessly give everything they have for the betterment of their patients. The Sheba Kitchen could have been just another industrial building. Instead, through inspired design choices, transformed the area for generations to come.

Design Team EKateryna Yolkina, Inbal Bildner, Keren Relevy, Alona Barak, Liron Hazbany Cohen, Erez Bader, Omer Dellus-Neeman, Ori Rotem