DG House by Domb Architects

Ramat HaSharon-based studio Domb Architects has designed the DG House.

Completed in 2008, this two story contemporary home is located in Ramat HaSharon, a city bordering Tel Aviv on Israel’s central coastal strip.

DG House by Domb Architects:

“Design is modern and simple, and materials are basic: painted plaster, grey oak and glass. Elevation reflects the inside- Same simplicity, same materials, and same quite. The lot is located at the dead-end street. Facade is very narrow, and at back of the lot a public park.

Our initial decision was to put the building in the advance lines of the street, and to leave the back garden big as much as possible.

Because of the width of the pitch, we divided the house into two wings- 2 asymmetrical boxes, which connected with open staircases . The front elevation is sealed, hiding the house from the street.

Huge doors open to the volume, which bring the views to the pool, and leave in the center of the house- a double height central space that connecting all house activities and is the meeting point of the house.

From the entrance- a wooden deck leading from the street, through the living room to the garden in the back of the field.

The intermediate space, double height- is the living room. It connects the two wings with overhead bridges and staircase. In its space was important for us to use huge glass walls- that allow natural views and lights to the home life.

The kitchen is in the public part of the ground floor with dining area from which go to the yard with BBQ Outdoor unit. Near the dining room is a spacious family room- that allows mom to be in eye contact with the children while she is busy in the kitchen.

Parents dreamed of an independent ground floor suite, sitting “on the water” with the separation from the rest of the house looks. Isolation was also a desire to give independence to children running around with their friends at the pool.

The children’s bedrooms were located on the first floor. Young’s rooms are with a common family room and balcony from every room. Adult children’s rooms are designed like “mini suite” with a living unit and independent bathroom.

All others family functions – a screening room, fitness facilities, a Billiard table, as well as an intimate studio- are in the basement.

The process with the client began in helping him to choose the lot, in reviewing the lot advantages, and in the optimization of the options We made different sketches, and shared the dilemmas of choosing client solution. We played with the entrance direction and stairways-to received preliminary sketches for the client.

We are very unique in the design process- planning the house in 3D from the initial sketch. Customers are very happy that the “imaging programs” are translated in 3D dimension.

Easy for us to be in a process where the customer is a partner in taking “visual decisions”. He sees over the whole process house “inside and out”, from the street and from the garden.

He can intervene not only in design flow, volumes, facades, but in understanding the final design, “heat & cold” of the house, finishing materials and the relationship between spaces.

These simulations are documented in “A book of images”, that accompany the client and us throughout all phases of construction and decision making.

Great joy when the customer comes in with it and investigating whether simulation matches reality. It gives “emotional help” to customers in decision-making by family and friends- that he was showing the house and gets feedback from them.”