Monolithic
Design
Project Name
Alterman Pool House
Sector
Wellness Centre
Location
Herzliya, Israel
Year
2024
Project Team
Abigail Benouaich
Auerbach Halvey Architects
Role
Computational Design
Concept Development
The Alterman Pool House in Herzliya is conceived as a quiet extension to an existing sports and swimming facility, expanding its capacity while reinforcing its architectural identity. Rather than competing with the surrounding structures, the project embeds itself within the landscape, establishing a low, monolithic presence that feels both grounded and deliberate.
The building consolidates pool, leisure, and support spaces within a singular architectural gesture, balancing clarity of form with spatial richness. Its massing is intentionally restrained, allowing the project to read as a continuous volume shaped by light, structure, and movement.
The project is defined by a monolithic concrete expression, where structure, enclosure, and finish are unified into a single language. The use of exposed concrete gives the building a sense of permanence and weight, while subtle variations in texture and light soften its presence.
Openings are carefully controlled, reinforcing the solidity of the volume while framing moments of connection to the surrounding landscape. This balance between opacity and transparency establishes a calm, inward-
focused atmosphere appropriate for the program and privacy needs.
At the heart of the project lies the pool hall, conceived as a “hidden world” beneath the monolithic exterior. While the building reads as solid and introverted from the outside, the interior opens into a sequence of vaulted spaces that introduce light, rhythm, and vertical expansion.
The vaulted ceiling creates a continuous spatial flow across the pool, filtering daylight from the outdoors and reflecting it softly across the water surface. This contrast between exterior mass and interior lightness defines the core architectural experience.
Grasshopper's computational process enabled the refinement of both structural efficiency and spatial quality, ensuring that the rhythm of the vaults is not only visually legible but also constructively rational. The result is a modular system that integrates design intent with performance, supporting both clarity in execution and flexibility in development.
Project developed at Auerbach Halevy Architects. Selected drawings and diagrams by Abigail Benouaich.
Some renders and schematic elements are based on original project materials.
The vaulted roof system is developed through a parametric approach, using Grasshopper to explore curvature, repetition, and structural logic. A rule-based system governs the geometry, allowing the vaults to adapt across spans while maintaining a coherent architectural language.
