Haifa Port Grain Silos

LOCATION: Haifa Port
PROGRAMME: Infrastructure
SIZE: Silo complex approx. 200 m long and 40 m high
STATUS: Invited competition, 2025
CLIENT: Adani-Gadot Group
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Rafael Bat

Haifa is a city in the process of transformation. As the port opens toward the city and the waterfront is replanned, industrial infrastructure that once stood apart from urban life is becoming part of the city's everyday landscape.
The grain silos at Haifa Port are among the largest structures along that waterfront: a complex approximately 200 meters long and 40 meters high. In scale it stands alongside Haifa's most familiar landmarks—the Dagon House (200 m long, 65 m high) and the Sammy Ofer Stadium (204 m long, 46 m high)—and when compared in three dimensions, the volume of the new silos is twice the width of the Dagon silos volume.
Attempts to hide the silos—by burying them or enclosing them within an additional envelope—would only emphasize their scale or result in an awkward, disconnected presence within the port environment.
Rather than concealing the silos, the design embraces their monumental presence and materiality, using them as a canvas for a bold new layer that creates a meaningful dialogue with the urban landscape. Instead of an oversized, robust envelope, the partial coverage and elegance of the tensile structure evokes the image of billowing sails: a minimal intervention that introduces a dynamic and organic contrast to the rigid industrial form.
The idea of the sail arose not only from the associative connection to the sea, but also from an analysis of the site. The port is full of industrial elements that clutter the city's coastline; the proposed façade blends with the environment and its surrounding elements, softening the appearance of the silos in a subtle way, without adding a massive volume that would disrupt the skyline. At night, by contrast, the façade turns into an impressive light display and a clear element visible from afar.
The structural system upon which the design is based is relatively simple: each sail functions as an independent column, and all the sails are connected by a perimeter beam. Each sail spans 71.4 meters, is built from 4.2-meter modules, and rises to a height of 32 meters. The construction and its elements allow for a façade with an elegant appearance that does not interfere with the functionality of the silos, but rather rests alongside them.
Covered in flexible panels that behave like soft fabric, the sails respond to wind and light, producing an ever-changing visual experience. As daylight shifts throughout the day, they cast subtle patterns and colors on the silos' surfaces, gently altering their perceived scale and texture.
Beyond aesthetics, the envelope also serves a functional role. It provides shade to the surrounding area, reduces energy consumption, and can potentially support renewable energy generation through integrated solar panels.
Ultimately, the project reimagines industrial infrastructure not by hiding it, but by transforming it into a landmark. By celebrating the silos' scale and form through a layered intervention, the design integrates them into the city while contributing to its evolving identity.