Basement conversion, Tel Aviv

Completed 2005

The site of this project was an 85 sq m windowless basement of a private house.  We were assigned to convert this basement into two apartments for singles.

The project included the design and execution of the kitchens, furniture, light objects and garden.

We aimed to create in this small site a multifunctional environment with a strong connection to nature and natural light.

Extension

Openings were cut in the concrete walls, and the dirt behind them was dug out, creating an extra space of 3 m X 7 m x 2.5 m (height). This space accommodates the kitchens and a garden for view only.

The glass facade and ceiling of the kitchen area let in a lot of light and maximise the presence of the garden. The bamboo shade above the glass ceiling filters the light and throws shade patterns that are ever changing according to the sun’s movement throughout the day.

The garden, measuring 1.7 m x 7 m, can be seen from almost anywhere in the apartments and acts as a dynamic background for the various daily activities.

The use of minimal components, simple shapes and complementary colours in the design of the garden aims to visually ‘amplify’ the different natural phenomena such as the movement created by the wind and the changes of light.

Sense of spaciousness

The garden’s design also aims to create an illusion of a bigger scale, thus making the apartments feel more spacious. To achieve this we chose dwarf trees and herbs, placed the floor of the garden on a higher level than that of the inner space and covered it with small pebbles - this creates an effect of perspective similar to that of looking at the surface of the sea.

To make the apartments feel bigger, relatively small stone slabs (20cm sq) were used for the floor. The furniture in the flats was also designed to create a sense of spaciousness: The wall mounted kitchen units, desk and bookcase do not occupy floor area; The leather sofa, leather bench, bookcase and cube tables are all low-level; The wardrobe doubles as a partition demarcating the entrance area without interrupting the visual continuity of the ceiling.

Inspiration

The project was inspired by Romantic paintings featuring the duality of shelter and horizon. We referred to the basement as a cavern that has been opened to the outside and provided with the feeling of an open view. Another source of inspiration was the paintings of Piet Mondrian, which express the forces of nature by means of abstraction. The garden was designed as a sort of abstract picture (initial sketches), aiming to open up an additional space for contemplation for the inhabitants of the small apartments.

Click here for detailed information on the furniture and kitchens.  

 
Client: private

General contractor: Mussa Zahalka e: musa.zahalka@gmail.com

Structural engineer: Yaakov Achbart

Design: Tamir Addadi, Raphael Cohen.  Assistant: Gil Minster 

Photography: Tamir Addadi, Raphael Cohen