The two storey residence allows for sweeping views of the open wide landscape and the Sea of Galilee from every room.
The design challenge was to maintain visual continuity from the plot towards the horizon.
To maximize the outdoor area of the 500m2 plot, the 200m2 residence is designed in two floors, with communal spaces on the ground floor and the bedrooms and family room, adjoined with a pergola covered terrace, on the first floor.
The generous openings facing the view to the South and East require the provision of shading and filtering against the intense sun. Thus, custom designed wooden shutters slide in adjustment to the position of the sun and privacy requirements. The shutter lattices, as typical of Mediterranean mashrabiya, block views inwards and maintain privacy, while allowing views of the scenery from the inside. The windows and doors behind the shutters are recessed, creating intermediate shaded semi-outdoor areas that offer milder climate conditions, keeping the house cool and pleasant even during the very hot days of summer.
The design of the elevations is a contemporary interpretation of the romantic notion of balconies with a view. The vertical proportion of the openings provides continuity between the nearby view and the distant view adorned by the lake. Carefully positioned openings on the rear elevations also capture views of Mount Canaan and the old town of Safed.
The earthy colour palette used throughout the house harmonizes with the surrounding landscape of olive and carob groves – an immediate continuum to the garden verdant with preserved oak and cypress trees.