The house covers an area of 500 square meters and is surrounded by an impressive garden of approximately 400 square meters.The project, designed by Yuma Architects, owned by Netanel and Michal Meir, involved a meticulous and profound process of preserving the existing structure, alongside the integration of modern and new infrastructure and construction, while creating a harmonious dialogue between them. The architects developed a design language inspired by the historic building, which echoes its past but also manages to arouse curiosity and thought, and create a continuity between spaces and times.

Ofri Paz | Stanley Home

 

The client comes from a family with three generations of architects, and therefore came with a background and awareness of the world of conservation, the architects say. “The house they live in in the United States is also a structure for conservation. We had an ongoing dialogue about how to intervene in the structure, the choice of materials, and the balance between the family’s needs and the historical values of the place,” the architects say. The planning and design process, which lasted about three years, can be understood through five main aspects, each of which illuminates a different angle of the project, from historical observation to the development of new elements

Above all – observation, learning and research

In addition to characterizing the program and understanding the clients’ lifestyle, which emphasized hospitality, for example, the architects were required to study the building in depth: “The first step was to study and understand the historical story of the building – what it originally had and what layers were added over the years. In such projects, an analysis of conservation, structural aspects, and construction technologies is required in order to begin to put together the existing puzzle before thinking about the next step.” After the study phase, questions arose regarding the method of intervention and conservation – one must ask how to properly touch the structure and what the essence of conservation is. Sometimes it is not only the building itself but also the buildings next to it, vegetation, floors, and various details from which a language can be created that relates to the existing structure.

  

Formulating an architectural concept – not to obscure but to emphasize

When renovating an existing building, and certainly when it comes to a building for preservation, the main question is how the new construction will fit into what already exists. In this case, instead of blurring the connection between the old and the new and creating a homogeneous appearance, it was decided to emphasize the encounters using wood cladding and joinery, which continue the historical stone construction. “We did not try to imitate the existing layer and assimilate into it. The new layer was built with contemporary technologies and materials, and it strengthens the presence of the historical layer. Each was created in a different period, and the viewer, who does not know what was built when, sees the exposed layers. The difference between them creates a new aesthetic.”

Between the private and the public – program and internal division

The transition from the street into the house is accompanied by vegetation and a water element, with the aim of creating a gradual transition from the noisy outside to the quiet and calm inside. The entrance is via a historic staircase, leading to a foyer that invites you in to the central space. A longitudinal axis stretches from the entrance to the back garden through the dining area, dividing the house into a private wing and a public wing – on the left are the bedrooms and bathrooms for the parents and children, and on the right is the living room and kitchen. In the center, a staircase leading to the lower floor, where a guest area, family room, swimming pool and outdoor areas have been designed.

Preservation of the structure and its details

During the work process, precise decisions were made about which details would be preserved, and in what way. The original corrugated ceiling, for example, is preserved, as are shutters and other historical elements such as original painted tiles that were incorporated into the new design. “Each tile was marked, dismantled and returned to its place. In places where the flooring was destroyed or missing, we supplemented it with terrazzo casting. This created a quiet frame within which painted carpets

   

The meeting between the old and the new – up-to-date systems and new elements

The back of the house, including the front, was destroyed, and new construction planning was required in those areas.

The new layer was designed largely through carpentry, and the meeting point between it and the historic stone and iron details tells the story of the house through material, texture and pattern. The carpentry also contains systems such as air conditioning as an alternative to lowering the ceiling: “We wanted to leave the ceiling exposed and show the construction configuration. Instead of lowering the ceiling, we inserted the systems into new carpentry elements that show where the new elements are in the house compared to the historic ones.” Behind the dining area, which is framed by stone arches and faces a large window towards the garden, a new veranda was designed. It was inspired by the building’s historic metalwork and helps filter the strong sunlight on the southern facade.

About the office:“Our main goal is to ask questions and think. We have knowledge that encompasses both systems planning and dealing with municipal authorities, and our approach ranges between the individual and the city. We deal with houses, buildings and complexes, and during the work questions arise about how we touch things, and which elements relate to the tenants as well as the street, the neighborhood, the community and sustainability. For example – how do we use light and nature to create space? How does a building meet the street? And how do we maintain values, especially when the rate of growth in the country is so rapid and dense.”

Interior design and planning: Yuma Architects

Photo: Nimrod Levy

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