Contemporary house overlooks the Mediterranean sea, situated steps away from the beach

Architects: Nava Yavetz Architects
Location: Ashdod, Israel
Year: 2014
Photo courtesy: Shai Epstein
Description:

“Situated in southern Israel, in the city of Ashdod, steps away from the beach. The house overlooks the Mediterranean waves, sand and wind. The design aims to accentuate this connection with the sights and sounds of the sea.

The structure expresses function, maximizing viewpoints and airflow.

A wide entrance door leads to the house composed of two wings, one public and one private. The public area includes a living room that soars to a height of two stories. The blue waters of the sea and pool are viewed from multiple angles and in different ways throughout the house. The house ‘greets’ the sea.

A floating roof connects the two wings of the house. The spaces within the house are arranged around a large courtyard that separates the public wing from the private one while enhancing the connection between the interior and exterior, enabling the breeze and view to flow through the house.

The master suite is located along one side, the children’s rooms along another, and between them is the public area including a large living room, a spacious dining room and a well equipped kitchen. The layout allows interaction between the public and private while also guaranteeing an appropriate amount of separation.

The house is well ventilated. The plan enables air to flow from east to west and from north to south, admitting the feeling of the whirling wind into the courtyard.

Clean, raw materials such as concrete, steel, wood, aluminium and glass are used throughout the house. This choice of materials facilitates the plasticity and dynamism of the structure and creates a web of connections between both the massive and the light. The roof constructed of steel covered with aluminium, seems to float above the massive concrete walls, as if disconnected from the main structure and part of the wind.

Smart glass fenestration filters out excess heat and radiation from the sun while allowing the light and view in throughout the day. The house lives and breathes with the daily movement of the sun, its changing shades of gold.