Housing is a universal concept. Creating quality housing spaces is the foremost milestone in architecture worldwide. We believe no limitations (budgetary or regulatory) stand in the way of great architecture. On the contrary – they serve as THE inspiration!

This project is located in east Rishon Lezion, facing two streets: Balfour St. on the west and Shlomo Molcho St. on the east.

The biggest challenge in this project was planning a building in a long and narrow space for 25 families (12 units of 3 rooms, 10 units of 5 rooms, 4 duplexes on the roof). Height restrictions, challenging regulation and a modest budget, which included six public housing units, became our main motivation and stimulus for a good design.

The building became the architect's "personal interpretation" of the traditional Public Housing Block.

The aesthetic language we created in the building is in fact a dialog between a black box and a stone- skin wrapping around and combining with it (the box) in order to emphasize architectural elements such as: openings, parapets, balconies and penthouses.

The box is covered by black cement plaster and all the aluminum openings are black as well. The box is covered with a stone skin with a "sandblasted" finish with a uniform width and a loose length. The meeting between the “box” and the stone skin creates three “conditions”; black (the box), skin (stone) and the interaction between both of them.

 

The block spreads out throughout the plot for the first two stories, then divides into two structures five stories each. The point of parting creates two special "bridge" apartments, which have "green rooftops" used as gardens for the adjacent apartments.   

The architect is responsible for the urban space as well as the private ones.

Therefore the color emerges in the building as the architectural element of a laundry's aluminum louvers, that enters to the ceiling of every lobby in a different color – the lobby entrance from Balfour St. is orange, the east lobby from Molcho St. is yellow so they each have their own individual identity.

 

Daniel Azerrad Architects

Team: Daniel Azerrad, Hila David (project manager), Keren Gabso,

Tammy Basal, Yulia Lipkin.

Entrepreneur: Royal Garden real estate Ltd.

Project Manager: Prima Nova Ltd – Elchanan Saar.

Contractor: Itzik Zakoto

Photogapher: Tal Nisim

Year: 2015-2019