BMW Mini showroom, Tel Aviv, Israël

BMW Mini showroom, Tel Aviv, Israël

Ceiling the deal

By Denise Close, Jean-Luc Wittersheim

A car showroom in a dramatic position in Israel makes a statement to passing motorists thanks to the innovative use of an illuminated ceiling. The design was the result of an intense collaboration between architect, lighting designer, client and contractor.

The BMW Mini showroom, at the main entrance to Tel Aviv on the east-west highway that links Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is a landmark for Delek Motors. This glass building is a particularly innovative creation and a high-end beauty. Millions of drivers travel this way by day and night and they can't avoid seeing the innovative and elegant glass box. Designed by Jonathan Groswasser of Yashar Architects, it embodies several interesting ideas: the interaction between the building and its urban environment; the dialogue between the building's lights and the city's illuminations; and the use of luminous ceilings to create an evenly spread ambient light. According to Dorit Malin, co-founder of architectural lighting design practice IDEA: “It reflects the fact that the building is not an island. The neighborhood is like a family: each building affects the next one and the one after that. We need to have a conversation between buildings and the city.”

“We created a kind of lighting beacon along the freeway, a reference point that you can't ignore but that doesn’t blind you”

Jonathan Groswasser, Architecte

© Cedric Helsly