ZA House is a project designed by Shachar Rozenfeld Architects. The villa which was built in Irus village Israel, has a footprint of 340 sqm. on a 500 sqm. The home’s shape consists of two rectangular masses, stacked on top of each other and differentiated by materials, rotation and size.

The elevation from the street highlights these rectangular masses with only few openings, while the elevation facing the backyard has large glass windows and sliding doors framing the view of the limestone hills. To break the rectangular shape and inject a bit of playfulness, the architects added round columns and circular holes in the outside pergola.
When first entering the home through the wide wooden door, you are greeted by an open space layout that merges seamlessly with the backyard by using a wall of glass wrapping around the edge of the mass. This was done to make the space feel bigger but also enable the couple to keep a watchful eye on their children playing outside or swimming in the pool.
In keeping with contemporary streamlined design and to reduce potential clutter, the living space has built in white storage closets spanning 12 meters along the entire wall and the wooden entrance door shares the same material to make it fit flush with the rest of the wall.
The kitchen contains a food preparation island that blends into a breakfast table, while housing all large appliances in the wall behind it. To make it feel more open, a strategically placed gap between the kitchen cabinets and the glass wall facing the backyard offers an extended view of the outside. Hidden away, on the opposite edge, is the guest bathroom with the door made of the same material as the kitchen cabinets to maintain the clean lines.
Moving up the floating wooden stairs and to the bedrooms, the structure of the roof is perforated by multiple skylights that allow for plenty of light. The master bedroom mimics the approach taken in the living space with a partially open bathroom and integrated closets for plenty of storage. The large wall-to-wall windows allow the homeowners to have a panoramic view of the surrounding area as well as the backyard.

Architects: Shahar-Rozenfeld Architects
Location: Irus, Israel
Plot Size: 500 sqm.
Project Size: 340 sqm.
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Shai Epstein