DEAD SEA
NVZ HOUSING - NEVE ZOHAR
ABOUT:
The Dead Sea is one of the world's wonders. The extreme environment combines the tough desert climate with the mountain rock colors and the saline sea water. This unique confluence was the inspiration for this project.
Approaching the planning in this extreme environment encouraged a new way of thinking. Although the existing urban plan offered an architectural solution it was based on simple "generic" planning' that obligated locating the house exposed to natural conditions by fencing off the lot with a the garden, cutting it off from the special environmental and climatic conditions inherent in the project.
The design offers residential units - from 45sqm to 250sqm - in a new complex in Neve Zohar, which is located on the coastline, aims to attract a diverse population – that might help to revitalize this isolated area.
The project introduces the dialectic between the desert and a residential landscape. Watercolor paintings of the environment as an initial creative act were the personal way to find the sense of place - "genius loci" - to live in the desert. The Abstract drawings led to architecture.
We spread out the building along the lot, thereby enfolding the house around small private courtyards overlooking the sea. Our act created a common wall between a residential unit and the next house, a natural sequence in a desert climate. The house itself dropped below the street level with earthen walls defining the interior and exterior so that they insulate the house from the sun's rays while preserving natural cooling energy and leaving a clear and elegant facade towards the street but also direct views of the public and private spaces of the home.
Daniel Azerrad Architects
Team: Daniel Azerrad, Shoham Ben Hamo (Arch. in charge), Hila David, Keren Gabso, Naama Ariha.
Client: Almogim
Interior Render: Studio 84
AWARDS:
PUBLICATIONS:
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AIQ Israeli Architecture Magazine #121 - "Project of the year" p.92-93 - May 2020
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"Engraved in stone", Daniel Azerrad - Caesar-Zone Blog – 30/7/2018