The white wall that surrounds the house creates a separation from the street through an entrance isolated in a niche that creates privacy for residents and visitors. Through the gate entrance, a game of colorful architecture is played out between the blocks of the building, with a gray foreground and white background. The division of masses is decorative as well as functional, including a seam-like staircase used to bring in natural light.

The constructive pillars represent another architectural game, whose role is dual in both structural engineering and decoration – exposing the interior and exterior and form the basis of architectural and decorative language. Beside them are black painted horizontal rails which create a harmonious complex of material in opposite directions. The use of black aluminum continues the architect’s constructional vision: maintaining minimal colors and materials.

The project reflects Melamed’s architectural concept, which is based on clean lines, quiet shapes and monochromatic colors. Melamed’s use of color is linked to the natural color of the material and not to artificial shades. As such, all wood remains in its natural color and the iron stays black. In fact, his secret to creating a warm look in a modern home is the use of natural materials, which do not look engineered and create neither a sleek nor artificial look.

Together with the materials, the architect strives to produce solutions of natural light without compromising privacy, since the house is surrounded by neighbors. Thus, in addition to the perpendicular groove that he created toward the stairs, Melamed chose to build the raised path wall from the ground level. It is an architectural solution that creates a horizontal trench that regularly brings natural light into the public space, while at the same time creating a sense that the house is floating and retains lightness despite its size. Careful attention was also given to the artificial lighting in the house, through a conspicuous presence when lit, and a complete disappearance when turned off, leaving the space undisturbed.

The layout of the house meets the needs of the family and is designed so that on the entrance floor are the living room, kitchen, service area for the main kitchen, dining area, and garden. Upstairs is the master bedroom, children’s rooms, and TV corner, which is naturally lit from the stairs. 

Raz Melamed Architect

Amit Geron

The post TR6 was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The three-story house, located on an urban area, is shaped by its surroundings, since the site slopes downward from the street towards the rear side.

This inclination is used as starting point of the tension created by the ascending roof with a perimeter slit opening and characteristic whiteness that, shared by the outdoor wall, presents a unified composition towards the side of the street. A white bridge floating above the landscaped garden at a lower level connects the street to the residence. The contrasting lines of the ascending roof and descending plot are reflected on the white iron revolving lattice of the facade, refracting the light in a frozen dance full of play, indoors. Lines which trace the same diagonals also characterize the volume of the white iron staircase with upward tapered steps, which is surrounded by extensive glazing, diffusing light like a prism to the interior as well as connecting the three levels of the house.

The ground floor level comprises the communal spaces in open plan configuration interpolated with semi-outdoor sitting areas, while separating the two levels of large en-suite bedrooms on the basement and first floor respectively. The vertical gardens of the perimeter walls, the strategically placed orthogonal water features, the English yard, as well as a lowered level sitting area by the linear swimming pool, create a pleasant and cooling environment to which both private and communal spaces can open out, via large sliding glass panels.

These glass panels, apart from filling the voids of the building’s white metal structure, allow the reflections of water and light to create constant movement to the interior; a movement initially dictated by the sun and wind, and completed by the continuously changing viewing angle of each user. Besides a few complimentary and neutral grey shades on the furniture, white predominates chromatically on walls and ceilings, becoming an ideal canvas for intricate shadows, while dispersed metal elements on the lights, staircase and selected artworks add their own reflections to the choreography.

Thus, the morphic impression of the interior and the elevations of the house shell is constantly transformed with every look and movement. Every use of space requires sensory awareness and wakefulness. Every moment is a new one-time occurrence, where sunlight falls on the building components providing a never before seen unique performance, enforcing the user’s presence in the space.

PITSOU KEDEM ARCHITECTS

The post J HOUSE was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.