On a long, narrow lot in Ness Ziona, Maya and Coral, owners of a studio, planned TRES architecture, a two-story house spanning 740 square meters for a couple and their two teenage children. The requirement was ambitious in terms of the proportions of the plot: alongside an open and spacious family home, the tenants also requested a substantial swimming pool and a basketball court, a shared hobby for the father and son. To combine all of this without sacrificing the outdoor space, the basketball court was moved to the roof of the house, thus becoming one of the most recognizable elements of the project.

Ofri Paz | STANNEL

The long lot dictated a linear design, in which the house, pool and outdoors coexist along a common axis. The pool was designed as a long, narrow strip that runs alongside the building, while family activities were divided between the ground and the roof. “The long, narrow lot presented us with a design challenge: We wanted to combine a house on two levels, a swimming pool and a basketball court, without compromising on any of the functions,” say Maya and Coral. “Since there wasn’t enough space left for a court on the ground, we turned the roof into an active area and designed the basketball court on it.” This division made it possible to concentrate the family’s daily life on the entrance floor, place the children’s private areas above them, and keep the roof as an active space in its own right.

The architectural language chosen is modern and minimalist, with brutalist touches based on masses of exposed concrete, large openings and an almost continuous connection between the interior and exterior. “The vision was to create a house that feels like a private resort, open, calm and slightly detached from the environment, with a feeling of freedom and vacation in the midst of everyday life,” they say. “It was important to us that the house have a clear and different architectural presence in the landscape, but at the same time remain minimalist, clean and precise.” The two concrete masses that make up the house were designed to give the impression that they are floating above the ground, a move that, they say, required complex constructive solutions and precise coordination.

The ground floor concentrates the public spaces, the family room and the master suite, all of which have direct contact with the pool. One of the key elements that makes this possible is a minimalist showcase that is approximately 18 meters long, which stretches the length of the space and almost completely blurs the boundary between the inside and the outside. The exposed concrete continues from the ceilings and walls to the outdoor areas, while light woodwork, glass and metal soften the mass and create a limited and quiet material palette. A transparent entrance door continues the glass continuum and allows a view into the central space and through it to the courtyard and pool. Next to it, a large custom-made carpentry wall was designed, which incorporates storage and hides the utility area within it, so that the practical functions are also integrated into the architectural envelope.

The homeowner’s love of cooking led to the decision to place the kitchen in the heart of the public space. It is characterized by a clean, industrial language and includes a wide island that faces the display case and the pool, so that work in the kitchen does not take place with her back to the house but remains part of the activity around it. “We wanted her to be facing the outside, the children, and the events happening in the house even when she was cooking,” explain the planners.

The living room continues the same concept of open space. Instead of defining it with walls, it was created as a free seating area in the center of the floor, with the furniture creating its boundaries and the pool and vegetation serving as the backdrop. Next to the living room is a light-colored carpentry cube that hides the family room, a more closed and intimate space designed for watching television and spending daily time. The separation allows, according to the designers, to keep the central public space clean and calm, without cutting off family activity from it.

The master suite is also located on the ground floor, with the bed facing the wide openings and the pool, giving the most private area of the house the same direct connection to the outdoors. “We wanted the most private space in the house to feel like part of the resort experience,” say Maya and Coral. Behind the sleeping area is a large walk-in closet, followed by the bathroom, which maintains the same restrained material language, with natural-toned stone, light woodwork, and glass.

At the heart of the house stands the staircase. Within the neutral envelope, it takes on a unique role – the metal construction is painted a warm mustard yellow, with thin steps and an almost transparent mesh railing, so that the mass remains light and airy even as it crosses the space. “It is precisely within the restrained material palette that we chose to give the stairs color and an almost sculptural presence,” explain Maya and Coral. “They transform from a functional element into an object that attracts the eye and connects the two floors.” Around them, the light-colored carpentry system continues up the height and combines storage, a library and hidden passages. The meeting of warm wood, painted metal and exposed concrete turns the staircase area into one point where the material language of the house converges into one movement.

The upper floor was dedicated primarily to the two teenage children. Each of them was designed with an independent suite that includes a bedroom, bathroom, and private balcony. “We wanted to create independence and privacy for them, so the floor functions almost as a separate area within the house,” say the planners. The concrete walls in the bedrooms remain exposed, while light woodwork wraps around the storage areas and beds. Large openings bring the vegetation into the rooms and allow views of the yard, pool, and field above. The textiles in natural tones and the minimal details soften the envelope without hiding it. The woodwork system on the floor also modestly demures the service areas – “even the most practical areas remain part of the clean language of the house,” say the designers.

From here we will continue up to the roof, to one of the most special elements of this house – the basketball court. It is located above the spaces of the house, surrounded by a light net and looking down at the pool and vegetation. As mentioned, the narrow proportions of the court did not allow it to be placed in the garden without damaging the outdoor area and the pool, so the function was moved to the height. “Beyond a planning solution, it says something about the family itself,” conclude Maya and Coral. “The father and son love to play together, so we created a place for them that is a real part of the life of the house.” Similarly, the most unusual element in the project is not a formal gesture in itself, but a direct result of the lifestyle that the house was intended to accommodate: a house where the pool extends alongside the living room, the kitchen faces outside, the children are given an independent floor, and on the roof, family life continues on a private basketball court.

The house’s outdoor areas function as a direct continuation of the living spaces. The long, narrow pool stretches alongside the house and emphasizes the unusual proportions of the lot, while a succession of palm trees and dense vegetation creates a green envelope that isolates the house from its surroundings. The long showcase allows the public space to open almost its entire length to the covered plaza, where additional seating and dining areas are located. The concrete ceiling continues above them and creates a sense of one space, with a gradation between the interior and exterior. Round openings were also incorporated into the concrete walls, an element that recurs at various points in the house and introduces a more graphic and softer gesture to the straight geometry and brutalist materiality.

“The pool, the vegetation and the natural light are an integral part of the architecture and the experience inside the house,” say the planners. Indeed, precisely against the backdrop of the limited palette of concrete, wood and metal, vegetation and light have an almost material presence. “For us, light and shadow are also material in the project. The masses, openings and depths were designed so that the house changes throughout the day, and the light emphasizes different areas of the architecture each time.”

Planning and design | Maya and Coral – Architecture and Interior Design, TRES architecture

Photography | Amit Giron

About the firm | TRES architecture

Maya and Coral are the founders of TRES architecture, an architecture and interior design firm specializing in the design of private homes, apartments and commercial spaces. Their work is characterized by a minimalist language, clean lines and precise selection of materials and details, combining aesthetics, functionality and character. The two accompany the projects from the initial idea stage to execution, with a deep familiarity with the lifestyle and needs of the clients and the aspiration to create a precise, practical and unique space in each project.

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