Smart design for new spy HQ

The firm of Kimmel-Eshkolot Architects has been selected to design the new Intelligence Corps campus in Be'er Sheva. A joint venture of the Israel Defense Forces and the Rashi Foundation, the project is intended to serve candidates for elite units of the Intelligence Corps. The campus will be located on a 74-acre plot near Ben-Gurion University and will fill the IDF's need for new training facilities as well as a great number of candidates for the corps. Unlike existing training bases, the new campus will also serve as an educational community center for Be'er Sheva residents.

Plans for the new campus include classrooms and dormitory-style residential facilities for over 450 cadets and staff, along with a central building that will house a dining room, cafeteria and offices. Kimmel-Eshkolot's design combines green elements, such as shaded passageways between the buildings that take advantage of the direction of the wind and plants that don't require a lot of water. Forests to be planted nearby will provide an open space for both the cadets and the neighboring community.

The Tel Aviv-based architecture firm has already designed two major public projects in Be'er Sheva: the Diller Center at Ben-Gurion University and the new Beit-Halochem center for disabled veterans, whose construction is now being completed.

The intelligence campus is being constructed as part of the transfer of IDF bases from the center of the country to the south. In addition to the IDF's training efforts, around 700 high school students are expected to participate annually in an educational program that will focus on foreign languages, computers, mathematics and technology. The campus recreation center, which among other things will include sports facilities like a swimming pool and fitness rooms, will also be open to the general public. (Noam Dvir )

	A simulation of the new intelligence headquareters.
	Photo by: Courtesy Kimmel Eshkolot