The residential tower features a unique screened façade.

Tel Aviv has a new architectural marvel. Today, Richard Meier & Partners officially completed its Rothschild Tower, a modern residence with deep aesthetic ties to its city’s history and vernacular architecture. Set along Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv’s White City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the building fits in seamlessly with the approximately 4,000 Bauhaus-era buildings that give the city the record for the largest concentrations of Bauhaus buildings in the world. “The great thing about the site is that it’s related to the whole city; it’s related to all of the wonderful buildings of the 1930s and to the historic buildings of Rothschild Boulevard,” said Meier in a statement. “It makes me very happy to be in such company.”

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Great cities often embody a special blend of characteristics, from food and culture to retail and park space.

The best are their own unique, global brands that feature a distinct look, feel and promise. But most often, it’s a city’s landmarks and unique architecture that make the strongest first impression.

One can’t think of Barcelona without imagining the sweeping curves of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces, from La Sagrada Família to La Pedrera.

Miami conjures images of Ocean Drive, lined with Art Deco-inspired hotels in bright yellow, pink and blue. And flying over Tel Aviv, the first thing we see is the iconic “White City” skyline, a sea of Bauhaus-style buildings recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei once said, “Architecture is the very mirror of life.”

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Tel Aviv is perhaps best known for its nightlife and as the most cosmopolitan city in a country that is often mired in conflict, but it is also home to the highest number of Bauhaus-style buildings in the world. A Unesco-designated World Heritage Site, its White City district is home to over 4,000 listed buildings and makes a good spot from which to commence an exploration of the country’s often surprising design and architectural heritage.

The Bauhaus style was brought to Israel in the 1930s by German-Jewish architects, alumni of the Staatliches Bauhaus school of art, and was characterised by the prioritisation of function over aesthetics and the use of inexpensive materials, which was ideal for the emerging city. Some of the best examples of Bauhaus and other historic styles are found on Bialik Street, Tel Aviv’s most picturesque avenue.

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