Sail Tower

Sail Tower
Sail Tower
בית המפרש
	Interactive map of Sail Tower
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Government offices
Location	Haifa, Israel
Coordinates	32°48′58.92″N 35°0′9.79″E / 32.8163667°N 35.0027194°E
Construction started	1999
Opening	28 February 2002
Design and construction
Architect	Amar-Koriel Architects

The Sail Tower (Hebrew: בית המפרש, Beit HaMifras), officially District Government Center - Building B (Hebrew: קרית הממשלה המחוזית חיפה - בניין ב) is a skyscraper and government building in Haifa, Israel. It is part of Haifa's District Government Center (responsible for the Haifa District), named after Yitzhak Rabin. The building stands within the area of the Old City of Haifa, where the Ottoman Saraya stood; it had been demolished in 1949 along with the rest of the Old City.^[1]

Its construction began in 1999 and was completed on February 28, 2002. It has 29 floors and stands at 137 m (405 ft). As such, it was the tallest skyscraper in Haifa until 2003, surpassed by the IEC Tower. Counting antennas, it is still the tallest building in Haifa. Without the antennas, the sails of the Sail Tower reach 113 m, and its main roof is at 95 m.^[2]

The District Government Center in Haifa was planned to combine new and old elements. In contrast with the modern Sail Tower, the promenade leading up to it was designed in an older Middle Eastern style, including mosaic on the floors depicting the history of Haifa. One of the maps depicted dates back to 1773.

In an Iranian ballistic missile attack on June 20, 2025, the building was damaged due to the impact of the missile nearby, with many windows blown out. Media reports indicated that Government offices were subsequently relocated. ^[3]

Inclusion in media

In Social Quantum's mobile app, Megapolis, a building called "Zodiac building" appears. The in game building is designed after the Sail building in Haifa.

References

^ Karkabi, Nadeem; Maoz, Eilat (2025-05-05). "Decolonizing Haifa: Urban Transformation and the Politics of Return". Palestine/Israel Review. 2 (1): 1–18. doi:10.5325/pir.2.1.0008. ISSN 2834-4332. Retrieved 2025-11-30. In 1949, Israel decided to implement a project called Shikamona, under which the Arab city ought to be demolished, with the exception of places of worship… A public park was constructed on parts of the saraya land before it was, in turn, destroyed to make room for the central post office building. In 2002, the mayor of Haifa and the Israeli government decided to establish the government and administration offices building known as the Sail Tower on the site where the saraya and the plaza associated with it once stood.
^ GmbH, Emporis. "The Sail Tower, Haifa | 133757 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
^ https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/months-later-censor-allows-footage-of-iranian-missile-hitting-near-government-building/