Two towers designed by Starck in Tel Aviv

Yoo is a residence with luxury apartments designed by Philip Starck in partnership with Habas Group and Moore Yaski Architects, located in the prestigious Park Heights neighbourhood in the north of the old Tel Aviv city centre.
Moore Yaski Sivan Architects, which designed the structure and the exteriors of the buildings, is one of the most important design firms in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1965 by Avraham Yaski, it transformed the city’s skyline through the construction of skyscrapers such as the Azrieli Center and Tzameret Towers.
The two towers Yoo Tel Aviv 1 and Yoo Tel Aviv 2, built in 2007, rise to a height respectively of 37 and 41 storeys and contain a total of 300 private apartments including some of the most exclusive in Israel. All the external columns, a total surface area of more than 13,000 square metres, were clad with Antologhia series mosaic from Appiani in a 2.5×2.5 cm size and with a custom grey colour without shade variation effects.
Yoo Tel Aviv will feature about 297 luxury apartments in two high-rise towers with respectively 37 and 41 floors.
In cooperation with Jade Jagger, Philippe Starck was responsible for designing the interiors, including the spa, the lounge, the health club, a private cinema and the apartments themselves. The French designer describes Yoo as „democratic, high-fashion living“ built with the aim of „creating a building where people stop in front and say: Nice building, darling, we should live here.“
The approach to the project reflects the Yoo philosophy, which all over the world focuses on design value to justify the higher cost. Buyers can choose from four different interior design styles and create their personal living space: class, culture, minimal and nature. But the designer also assumes that buyers may choose to mix different styles. Starck’s Class category, associating cigar, Jaguar and tweed with the word „classic“, will offer apartments with dark wooden floors, leather furniture and marble surfaces. Andy Warhol fans may choose the Culture variety with a mix of neon light, baroque and hip furniture. Minimal means lots of white, steel, little furniture and clear lines. Nature expresses itself in pale colours and robust textiles.
Guided by Starck, buyers can select various assortments of furniture, bathroom installations, kitchen equipment, electrical appliances and different forms of illumination, including Starck’s own creations for Alessi, Kartell, XO and Flos, and from around 500 design icons, from Arne Jacobsen to Le Corbusier.
While the lobby and the English style lounge are furnished with noble wood and leather, the single apartments offer electrical components by BTicino (Milan), doorknobs by Olivari, and bathroom installations and piping by Duravit and Hans Grohe. Kitchen brands on offer include Bulthaup and Küppersbusch while the cutlery is by Laguiole. Starck not only designed the cutlery, but also Laguiole’s head offices in the French village of the same name.
The total cost of the building complex was around US$ 145 million and the total residential floor area is about 52,000 square metres.