Axelrod Design

Shortly after Tel Aviv-born Irit Axelrod graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in the Technion/Israeli Institute of Technology, she landed her first architectural commission, the Ben Gurion Heritage Institute building in south of Israel. Twenty years later, Axelrod continues to bring her sense of “quiet power” to all her projects, now splitting her time between Tel-Aviv and San Francisco, where she set up her stateside office (Axelrod Design) in 2006.
 
Growing up in Tel Aviv, Axelrod was surrounded by the city’s early 20th century, International Style architecture. The beauty of the buildings’ raw concrete construction, part of her daily experience, made a marked impression on the young Axelrod. The monolithic forms continue to influence her work today. The buildings, whose origins are rooted in the Bauhaus tradition, find expression in all her commissions, including single-family residential, institutional and commercial.

Axelrod Architects is a design-oriented, comprehensive architectural firm that creates exceptional residences, institutional and commercial buildings and interiors, in the modernist style. The firm is known for its attentiveness to fine detailing, honest expression of materials, and clean, simple forms. The timeless, serene, and minimalist designs of Axelrod Architects evoke a sense of quiet power without being overpowering.

Viewing the work of the firm, one is immediately aware of the painstaking care given to each project. Each line, surface, and volume exists to satisfy a particular need or desire on the part of the client. There are no extraneous parts, nothing in the design that has not been thought through.

The Axelrod design approach emphasizes the continuity of space within the parameters of the building program; each space is thematically connected to every other space. The use of free-standing architectural elements is a hallmark of Axelrod's design. Visual corridors and spatial connectivity enliven the continuity of the whole; one always has a sense of location within the project. The defining concept of each project is the experience of a person moving through the building's spaces. One constantly asks: is the human movement logical, efficient, and pleasing? Does the architecture express that?

Axelrod Architects provides unparalleled service from conceptual design through construction. That service is based on two foundations: complete and accurate design and construction documents, as well as rigorous construction oversight. The firm's experience has demonstrated that quality, accurate construction documents result in lower construction costs and a finished project built according to the owner's expectations. The architect's continuing role during construction is critical. Axelrod's close involvement with the contractor before and during construction pays off with fewer costly field changes and a more precisely constructed building.

AIA San Francisco "New Practices San Francisco" (2009) - Honorable Mention
AIQ Project of the Year Contest (2008) - 1st place, Architecture
The Porter School of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University (2008), Team: Axelrod-Grobman Architects, Geotectura, NC Architects, Vista -1st place
AIQ Project of the Year Contest (2007) - 2nd place, Interior Design
Rechter competition for excellence in architecture (2005) - Finalist
IBM Building Interior Design Competition (2000)
Ben Gurion House Renovation (1994) - 1st place

California Home + Design (2009)
Objekt International (2008)
Contract Magazine (2008)
Windows & doors (book by APEX, Robinson, 2008)
20 House (book, Robinson, 2007)
San Francisco Examiner (2006, 2009)
Architecture of Israel Quarterly (2005, 2008, 2009)
AIA Small Firms - Great Projects magazine (2005)
DWELL Magazine (2005)
BVD (2003, 2004, 2009)
Design (Itzuv) (1996, 2003)
50 Years of Israeli Architecture (book, 1999)

AIA San Francisco "San Francisco Living: Home Tours" (2009)
AIASF Small Firms - Great Projects (2005)
Rechter Prize (2005)
40x40 (2005)
Israeli Architecture Biennale (2004)