Olive Oil Factory | Or Kochav

While planning the building the need arose to maintain the size of the existing roof and to transform it from a junk warehouse into a visitor center and an olive oil factory. The building’s geographical location and the sun and wind directions were taken into consideration in designing the factory. The client- Nati, is an old family friend, a single parent who raises his only son after whom the brand is called – “Yehonatan Oil”. They both enjoy farming and living the country life. He grows and processes his olive grove organically, picking the olives and making extra virgin olive oil from them.The connection they both have to the ground and the non-material life had a significant effect on the design of the structure, which is characterized by natural materials and rural shaping. Emphasis was placed on keeping the building simple, with a link to the organic and rural shapes, and connecting it to its natural surroundings. The building’s location in the lot posed a problem in terms of green planning, because the wind arrives from the south, where the building’s entrance is located, thus not enabling the building to be naturally aired. Since the area is warm most days of the year, the need arose to find a solution and lead the wind into a long narrow structure, in order to cut air-conditioning costs. After drawing several sketches and models, the inspiration finally came from a jet engine with lateral air assemblers, which enable air to enter the engine and leave it aerodynamically, thus cooling it.It was this method and its implication on the building which altered the look of the building’s eastern front to a more aerodynamic look with openings in its sides and back, which enable natural airing and saving energy all year long.In addition, most of the building’s activity is during daytime, thus natural lighting was planned for the entire space, which was achieved by placing double-glazed sky-line windows with a “low-e” reflective coating. These windows enable light to enter, while blocking radiation from entering the space. This feature also cuts energy for lighting purposes.Insulating the relevant walls, locating the openings in the building in order to obtain natural ventilation and lighting, using solar systems and recycling the water and the trash – all of those help to transform the building into an economic and user- and environmentally-friendly building.