Designed by Tel-Aviv based practice Golany Architects, the
house overlooks the Sea of Galilee with a sweeping view of the Galilee from
every room. Sliding wooden shutters adjust to the position of the sun and privacy requirements, providing shading and and filtering against the intense sun.
Photography © Amit Geron
Description:
When Golany Architects approached the design of this residence in
the Galilee, they took upon themselves the challenge of maximizing the
potential of the lot at the edge of a village, overlooking the open wide landscape,
adorned by the Sea of Galilee.
The desire was for the residence to embrace and engage
with the ancient landscape. Therefore, it was important to maintain an
unobstructed continuity between the lot and its surroundings. To determine the
exact level of the house, the architects and clients went to the empty lot,
where they climbed a ladder to check for the level at which the Sea of Galilee
can first be seen. The level of the house was then carefully determined for a
minimal rise above ground level to provide far views, while still avoiding any
retaining walls or barriers, despite the mountainous terrain.
The living areas which are located on the ground
level, are continued by the garden that seems to extend towards the horizon,
through the fields, and all the way to the Sea of Galilee. The actual size of
the lot is only 500 sqm, so in order to leave enough living outdoor area, the
house was split into two floors. The bedrooms and family room, adjoined with a
pergola covered terrace, are on the first floor, where they are open to the sweeping
view above the treetops.
Sustainable and environmental considerations were taken
into account. The generous openings facing the view to the south and east,
require the provision of shading and filtering against the intense sun, which
is provided by the wooden shutters. The shutters slide in adjustment to the
position of the sun.
The shutter lattices, as typical of Mediterranean mashrabiya,
block views inwards and maintain privacy, while allowing one to enjoy the
scenery from the inside. The light rays penetrating through the slits create a
magical, ever-changing atmosphere in the interior anytime the sun illuminates
the shutters.
The large windows and doors on both levels of the
house are recessed from the shutters' outer façade. The double-skin envelope,
created that way, significantly improves the climate control of the house and
thus – as the clients indicated – despite the heavy heat, typical to this
region of the Jordan Valley slopes, the house stays cool and pleasant even
during the hottest days of summer.
Between the glazed doors and the shutters,
intermediate spaces are created – kind of outdoor rooms - enabling to sit
outside in the fresh country air while still maintaining the privacy and
intimacy of the inside. The intermediate spaces can be closed by the wooden
shutters, rendering it an integral part of the interior, while at the same time
being outdoors. At the ground level, the covered balcony that serves as an
outdoor living room extends the living and dining areas, while an
indoor-outdoor balcony on the first floor extends the family room.
In the bedrooms, between the two layers of the
house envelope - the windows and the shutters - small balconies are created.
The balconies, with their vertical proportions – as a contemporary
interpretation of the traditional balcony – provide unobstructed continuity of the
close view (the private garden), mid view (the village fields) and far view
(the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights). Carefully positioned openings on
the rear elevations also capture views of Mount Canaan and the old town of
Safed.
The house aims to integrate into the pastoral
surroundings. The yellowish-brown ridge at the front, the rugged soil and the
Olive and Carob groves around it where horses graze, led to the choice of the
materials: matching colors for the cement textured plaster and the timber
shutters outside, light brown stone for the paving inside, and the wooden
ceiling with its massive beams.
The cypress tree at the corner of the lot, the oak
tree by the living room window and other mature trees were preserved during
construction, and the house was built among them. Amid the rocks, rosemary, lavender and spice plants with
local fragrance were planted. The house was designed to capture the ambiance of
the environment and was built out of elements that originate from it.
Source: Golany Architects
