CH House has been designed by Domb Architecture, featuring clean and contemporary lines with limited architectural elements in Tel Aviv, Israel. The residence has very basic finish materials: white plaster, iron and glass. The old house served the family while raising children. Now, that the children have left home, it is home for the couple and serves for hosting the family and the grandchildren. The clients wanted a modern house without levels, open, but with intimate corners for the family. It was important for the couple to stay at the same neighborhood, but to build a house according to their new needs.

Since they didn’t succeed to find land they loved, and preferred to stay in the old residence environment – they decided to build a new house on the old home base. Not to destroy the old infrastructure – but planed to use it for the new house. A lot of advantages are in renovating old house: Understanding the far and near environment, knowing the site and the existing plan, adopting them to the new needs of the new program, as well as saving money and time of building permits and renovation.

Because we left the existing skeleton base, floor heights stays low, and the old floors and columns- formed a lot of planning conditions. The new design used strong architectural language that distinct the volumes of the building and hide the old columns and ceilings. Because of the low ceiling height we had to redesign wisely the lighting system and the air conditioning- not to lower the ceilings (Air condition hides in the walls).

At work we had to align the frame of the house, and had to fill up to 8 cm thick plaster. The building is close in the front and sides, and very open to the back garden Small number of functional spaces -projecting in the number of openings. Fewer bedrooms – needs fewer windows. Heavy sealed shell on 3 sides, compared with large glass walls to the back – reinforcing the connection of the house to the garden.

Heavy beam, surrounding the house and garden area, shading doorways and seating areas. At the entrance a large water element, a “reflecting pool”, this reflects the front of the house as a mirror, relaxing and creates “white noise” that disconnects the entrance from the noisy outside road. A floating wooden bridge leads guest to the big “front door”. House revolves around a central staircase – transparent and connects the different spaces of the open ground floor.

On one side- of the living room and family room, front dining room, and the kitchen with the intimate dining corner, pantry and outside kitchen. The kitchen is produced by Italian company ” Boffi” – partially open to the living room and hides working corners. The dining area off the kitchen, internal and external – is used for eating and managing the family every day’s life. The Husband’s dream was to have “outside working kitchen” in the garden, that connected to the back pantry and kitchen. Spacious living room and accommodates many guests, furnished with comfortable and elegant Italian furniture.

The combined family room next to the living room with a special library – quickly became the center of the house. Intimate and cozy. The home central staircase hiding the big dining area, which hosts the family with direct link to the beautiful back garden. Minimalist glass doors, invisible, and hidden inside the walls width.

Much of the social life in Israel takes place outdoors, so there are large surfaces for gathering and eating in the back garden. On the second floor- spacious parents suite, with balcony that overlooking the garden. Entering through the wide closet that brings to a big bedroom and large and luxurious bathroom, with free standing bath and huge shower. The basement is functional – Game space for the grandchildren, Fitness room, intimate office and additional guest suite.

A smart system controls the electricity, communication system, audio video and air condition -and operated by an i-phone. New life to existing structure, without destroying the remnants of the past, trying to preserve as much of the possible. New life for next twenty years, to a gladdened and extended family.

Photos: Amit Geron