Israeli practice Paz Gersh Architects has recently completed ‘Mediterranean Villa‘, a modern L-shape house in Tel Aviv, Israel, that stands around a pool and three garden areas. On ground floor an open plan provides public spaces such as kitchen, dining, library, and living room around the pool area. By planning the bedrooms in the upper and lower levels of the house the ground floor becomes a transitional space between the master suite and the lower bedrooms.
The plan integrates 3 Mediterranean garden types, these gardens vary in type and location around the villa. On the upper level the master suite opens to a roof garden. On the roof steel containers hold the green area thus becoming an object in the garden. On ground level, cultivated fauna acts as a back drop towards the eucalyptus trees. At the lower level a private courtyard is situated next to the bedrooms.
In designing of the exterior elevations, a framing element is used to capture a segment of the landscape scenery. The house design re-examines the boundaries of interior space on the ground level by the use of natural light and transparent glass elevations towards the south and west directions. These glass elevations on the ground floor are used as dynamic partitions, while the upper wooden louvers allow filtered sunlight into the master suite.
The design of the facades evolved through an analysis of precise proportions, these proportions can be seen through the entire house. The house was planned while searching for a contemporary architectural language, both using local references with the combination architectural Mediterranean elements.
all images © AMIT GIRON