First stone laid for André Deloro Building

Weizmann management and representatives of the Adelis Foundation came together on March 11 for a moving cornerstone-laying ceremony for the André Deloro Building for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, the planned state-of-the-art facility that will house the Tom and Mary Beck Center for Advanced and Intelligent Materials.

In attendance were Rebecca Boukhris, Director of the Adelis Foundation, and her husband Sidney Boukhris, also a member of the board of the foundation, which was established to realize the vision of the late André Deloro. Deloro, who died in 2012, was born in Cairo and was educated in France.

He was a world-class engineer who designed ports, industrial parks, hotels, and large infrastructure projects throughout the Middle East. He cared deeply about Israel and established his foundation with a focus on advancing social, educational, and scientific causes in Israel. The Adelis Foundation has given generously to a range of areas at the Weizmann Institute, and awards the annual André Deloro Prize to an outstanding scientist during the International Board.
Prof. Dan Yakir of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, chaired the scientific steering committee that helped oversee the specifications and overall design of the Deloro building.

At the ceremony, Weizmann President Prof. Alon Chen presented Rebecca and Sidney Boukhris with a scroll of appreciation and, separately signed a sealed scroll dedicating the building and embedded it in a cornerstone of the new facility.
“The André Deloro Building brings together investigators from chemistry and physics and gives them the space and advanced equipment they need to pursue their curiosity,” said Prof. Chen. “That is the Weizmann vision, shared by Mr. Deloro, who encouraged curiosity-driven research and was committed to giving the best people the best possible tools needed for world-class research.