The family for whom we designed this house had one request above all others: that we create an all-enveloping haven for them. In response to their wishes, our starting point for the central design concept was to create a family bubble – a series of spaces providing respite from the external visual and audial chaos of design, passing fads, and the endless intrusion of media and social networks. 

To fulfil their dream, we searched for silence. Our starting point was to strip away the unnecessary. We wanted to design a house with a coherent architectural language that would wear its age elegantly. 

The house gives little away. As one approaches it from the street, its façade conceals far more than it reveals. This enigmatic façade, which is something of a puzzle, opens as one steps into its inner spaces, where one immediately experiences the all-pervasive visual silence. Next comes the surprise of seeing that the interior is at one with its surroundings – for this is an inside outside house whose shimmering waters and green spaces contrast well against its sleek whiteness. 

The clean-cut volumes and subtle compositions are finished in a special breathable lime-based plaster – a finish once commonly used in Tel Aviv and as such corresponds harmoniously with the style of the White City. The architectural volumes set the mood through an abstract almost sculptural envelope that adds to the sense of mystery as shadow and light move through the spaces, while also emphasizing the dimension of depth glimpsed through the façades. 

To climate proof the house for the sake of the environment and to help the family endure the hot Israeli climate and virtually year-round bright sunlight, we created double envelopes to enclose intermediate shaded and airy spaces. Here the family can comfortably spend time even on days when the most extreme weather blows in from the desert. Between the various spaces, we created internal courtyards for which indigenous trees and plants able to withstand the climate extremes were chosen. These patios, such as the one between the master suite and the study, are also instrumental in keeping the spaces cool since their presence improves airflow, filters out the harsh sunlight, and significantly reduces energy consumption. 

As architects working in the heart of the White City – the early to mid-20th century international style buildings for which this part of Tel Aviv is renowned ever since being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site – we are all too aware and very much respect that buildings can and should remain relevant well into their ‘old age’. Here we have drawn on White City values and motifs to create a pristine and stylishly modern home for a family seeking sanctuary from a bustling 21st century inner-city environment.