Azrieli Group May Cancel Residential Units in Tel Aviv's Spiral Tower

The Azrieli Group is reportedly seeking to cancel the residential units planned for its Spiral Tower, one of Israel's tallest under construction in Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center, and convert them to office space. Tel Aviv City Engineer Odi Carmeli stated that the group is requesting this change, which is still awaiting necessary approvals. Carmeli discussed the difficulties of mixed-use buildings, noting a trend where developers themselves are initiating conversions from residential to commercial use due to economic, planning, and engineering considerations.

The 91-story Spiral Tower was originally designed to include offices, residences, a hotel, and retail. Carmeli explained that combining residential and commercial functions in a single skyscraper necessitates complex planning for operations, maintenance, and transportation, particularly regarding the significant increase in truck traffic for commercial use.

Jamie von Klemperer, president of the architectural firm KPF, which designed the tower, shared insights into its original concept, inspired by the existing Azrieli towers' pure forms and aiming for a spiral shape that narrows with height to connect with them.

During the same conference, Jerusalem City Engineer Yoel Even addressed the city's high-rise policy, defending its approach and refuting claims of excessive building. He highlighted that Jerusalem's high-rise projects often include low-rise construction and that opposition to projects like the Epstein Tower, nicknamed the 'Jerusalem Burj Khalifa,' involves manipulation, asserting it's not the city's tallest building.

He described modern towers as complex engineering systems requiring professional management and maintenance, contrasting this with Israel's lagging regulations, which lack standards and may not mandate management companies for tall buildings. Baral warned that inadequate maintenance due to cost-cutting could compromise resident safety, likening poorly maintained towers to slums and citing potential dangers like unmonitored swimming pools or compromised fire systems, with potential loss of life.