Single Family Home

A single family home, located in a kibbutz expansion site. The expansion plan is a hybrid of suburban and kibbutz planning methods, with small private yards surrounding each new home while no fences or borders are permitted. The house is situated in a square plot, with bordering public footpaths on its southern and western edges. The client, a young family of 5 wanted their home to open up to the surrounding public sphere while giving the them the ability adjust privacy levels according to specific demands. The programmatic arrangement echoes surrounding vistas, by placing living quarters along the western and southern facades, facing the Gilboa mountains and a pubic park, with service modules relegated to the rear façade, adjacent to the access road. With outdoor living in mind, a patio was designed as the home’s focal point, where the living quarters and bedroom wing intersect. The patio is situated in the south-west corner, which affords panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, but is also the homes most exposed and least private. Therefore, the patio acts as an additional buffer between public and private realms. As the Biet-Shean valley has extremely hot summers, much attention was devoted to the house’s climatic properties, in order to minimize solar gain and induce natural ventilation.