One
of the most distinctive contributions to the understanding of the history of
art was made by art researcher Heinrich Wolflien at the start of the last
century. Wolflien claimed that with no compelling connection to circumstances,
there is a constant rotation between two principal expressive tendencies - the
Classical conservative, and the liberal Baroque. This is true, of course, in
many other fields of life, such as politics or literature. But especially so
when considering architecture. The phenomenon is even more extreme at
conflictual meeting points, where the quantative difference between those in
favor of one tendency and those if favor of the other is minimal. It is no
wonder elections are held every year and a half in Israel, and I have no doubt
that if the contest was about architectural style, it would be held at even
more frequent intervals.
In
a society which draws its existential essence from so many different places, it
is very difficult to reach a national consensus on matters of taste. Thus, the
two houses brought before us here are "settled in their ways" (their
architects ways) - in that they do not exceed the boundaries of accepted
aesthetics, do not harm the streets facade, yet do grant their inhabitants
much satisfaction.
What
unites the two is their strong relation to the private outdoors. What separates
the two is their different levels of conservatism. Whereas one is characterized
by a wide variation of free lines, the other is adorned with minimalist
rectangularity.
The
first house is located at the heart of an established neighborhood of Ramat
Hasharon. Two rectangular wings create an L-shaped building which seals most of
the garden area enclosed between two crossroads. A transparent space connecting
the two strengthens their relation to the central courtyard, whose presence is
felt throughout the entire house. At the center of the courtyard is a large
swimming pool and paved area which functions as the central and most active
part of the house. Peripheral corridors connect all the spaces of the house to
the outside with the steel-framed windows whose presence is prominent
throughout the house.
Inclination
of the entrance wing towards the northern wall is prominent in the plan. This
inclination enables the creation of a baement level courtyard, calling
attention towards the garden. An interior stairwell functions as a space
separating the childrens and parents bedrooms. The exterior staircase offers
a direct connection between the bedroom wing and the garden, and acts as a
sculptural element and beauty spot in this minimalist rectangular building, so
"frugal" in shapes.
Characterized
by the "build your own home" attitude, the other house is centered
around the residents personal fantasies - a two-floored house with a parental
suite, an open kitchen and gallery overlooking the living-room, from which it
is possible to "dive" into the private swimming-pool.
The
house is located in the southern quarter of Ashdod, and its uniqueness is
demonstrated in in a fine blending of the architectural, landscape and
furniture details. The materials play a key role. Bright stainless steel flows
among the kitchen fixtures centered around a functional island, and the
stairwell banister, which reaches, finally, the bedrooms.
According
to its architect Nava Yavetz, "A client who can appreciate good
architecture is an asset, because he motivates the architect to make the most
of the piece of land which is so precious to him". The question
challenging Yavetz was how to fulfill the clients aspirations of a
"special house", without damaging the streets continuity. The house,
whose main theme is light, is based on a dialogue of formal volumes. A northern
"S"-shaped prism faces the street, open to an abundance of filtered
light, and a triangular prism, the private wing of bedrooms, faces south. The
childrens and parents rooms are linked by a bridge.
