Nicoforia Hotel
Project Title
Nicoforia Hotel
Description
In 1973, Moshe Safdie and Associates investigated some alternative types of development which would be appropriate for a site in Jerusalem overlooking the Old City. The site was located on King David Street, adjacent to the existing King David Hotel, near a public park and the historic Herod’s Family Tomb. Safdie proposed three alternatives: the first scheme, a retail/office complex, included retail spaces on the street level, with four storeys of terraced office spaces above; the second scheme, a retail/apartment complex, included retail spaces on the first floor and four storeys of luxury apartments above; the final proposal was for a 200-room luxury hotel with retail and commercial spaces on the first floor and rooms located above. From the three schemes presented, the client considered the third to be the most “attractive,” primarily because of the location and because the client had already retained an interested investor.

In all studies for the hotel complex which followed, rooms were stepped back from facades, creating a sheltered, landscaped terrace for each room. In addition, a glass-roofed atrium, with public facilities, was planned for the centre of the hotel. The total area varied in more developed schemes from 13,200 m2 to 15,600 m2 (142,084 ft2 to 167,917 ft2), with underground parking included.

Images on this page: 1 schematic drawing

Jerusalem, Israel

Timeline
between 1973 and 1974
Location
Completion Date
Project Type
Creator
Safdie Architects
Rights:
© Safdie Architects. Explicit permission to use images is required. Contact the communications department at Safdie Architects (media@safdiearchitects.com) for more information.