havkin architects builds the n122 house above a basement courtyard in israel

on a small plot in ramat hasharon, israel, havkin architects designed a new residence for the owners of a cosmetics and design company. envisioned also as investment, the ‘n122’ house was developed following the client’s brief of creating an open program, allowing it to be easily adapted for future buyers. 

the ground floor- on the right is the entrance bridge

all images © amit geron

residents enter the house though a purple steel gate that leads to a bridge overlooking the downstairs courtyard. from here, one can see the composition of masses, which are split by a concrete plinth. above is a khaki-grey clad volume, and what the design team refers to as ‘the basket’. below is an equal volume, but in this downstairs world, it is characterized by concrete with circular cut-outs.

two functional black cubes on the ground floor, one of them is the guest toilet

to afford flexibility, the ground floor has no walls to separate its functions. instead, two functional black boxes divide and define the space. one of them serves as the kitchen, the other is the guest toilet. taking the stairs down to the basement leads to two large bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom. these two are separated by a space that can be used as a lounge. all three spaces have a large window that can be opened up and lead to the courtyard through a circular cut-out in the exterior concrete wall. going back upstairs to the first floor, two more bedrooms and a master suite are revealed, each with a small balcony overlooking the garden.

the staircase is separated from the kitchen by a glass wall

the n122 house marks the second project realized by havkin architects for the client, and they were heavily involved in the design process and decision-making. the color scheme for the façade, for example, was inspired by a shirt the client wore on the day of buying the paint. although this time the house was not intended for their own use, the architects kept the process very personal with special attention to details.

the steel floating staircase

daylight in the upstairs hallway

the master bedroom

the circular cut-out in the basement’s exterior wall leads to a minimalist courtyard

the entrance bridge, a view from the gate inwards

view from the courtyard 

a view from the entrance bridge: on the left, trees rising from the downstairs courtyard, on the right, the overhead ‘basket’ floats on top of the ground floor

the rear elevation of the house

the ground floor is reflected in the pool, the dining table is ted by havkin architects, produced by henge07

project info:

project name: n122

location: ramat hasharon, israel

architecture and design: havkin architects

completion year: 2019

photography: amit geron

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom