Building Materials

The designers of the PSES Building preferred the use of ecological building materials, in accordance with both LEED Platinum and the Israeli Green Building Standards:

• Local Materials. The use of local materials is more efficient, it contributes to the local economy, and prevents the need of polluting transportation over great distances.

• Recycled/recyclable Materials. More than 60% of the flooring tiles used in the PSES Building are made of construction waste, preventing unnecessary mining of marble or granite and significantly reducing the building's ecological footprint. Unprocessed Israeli construction waste and asphalt, left over from the parking lot which was the previous occupant of the site, were used for the foundations, flooring infrastructure and stabilization of parts of the southern slope beneath the building. Drywalls in the PSES Building are made from recycled paper, and all of the steel used is recyclable.

• Efficient Technology. The designers chose a construction technology based on pattern reuse. This method minimizes the amount of waste manufactured on site, thus reducing the resources required and burial of waste in landfills.