narrow house by ohad yehieli

during the ‘houses from within‘ event in tel aviv, israel, designboom had the opportunity to visit ‘the yehieli – beth on residence’ home designed by architect ohad yehieli. considered one of the narrowest houses in the city, the structure illustrates how architectural virtuosity manages to create a family home even under seemingly impossible blueprint conditions.

exterior view of the narrow house image © designboom

the house is located within the hadar yosef neighbourhood of tel aviv, an area that was established in 1951 and used as housing for jewish immigrants from romania and yemen, as israel gathered jews from diaspora. these immigrants settled into tiny houses of 22 sqm that later were increased to 36 sqm, each with two rooms, a kitchenette and washroom. during the 70s, the city planned to develop the area with the implementation of high-rise buildings of 10-12 floors, with the refurbishment and expansion of the existing structures to enable family growth and development.

photo by stav gertz

the plot site is 750 sqm in area and is sliced into four row units with a limited width of 370 cm wide on its inside. the floor area at ground level is limited by local regulations to 63 sqm. the narrow house is built within one of these inner units and therefore, windows to the long façades cannot be opened.

image © designboom

the bathrooms, kitchen and dining are in the heart of the home’s 17 meters long plan.

stairway leading to the upper levels photo by stav gertz

light and air enter the home in three ways:

1) via a patio which runs from the first floor-up and opens to the sky, hanging just above the dining and kitchen area at the ground floor and opening to the master bathroom and study. the patio generates air movement and releases heat from lower floors.

2) the children’s bathroom on the first floor which is ventilated and exposed to the sky by a roof window located just above the bathtub, so direct sunlight enters the room at midday and the evening sky by night.

3) through stairs which run exposed around and above the dining area and kitchen are lit with the use of six glass roof tiles replacing clay tiles on the roof.

worm’s-eye view up the staircase which winds around and above the dining and kitchen area to the upper level photo by stav gertz

the architecture itself is driven by the limitations of the plot in which it is situated, with the interior design following the notion of simplicity and minimalism. the materials which yehieli has used are in their ‘rawest’. basalt tiles are used for flooring throughout the common areas, while exposed concrete sets the background for the stairs. oriented strand board (OSB) has been polished and lacquered for flooring through the bedrooms. handrails are made with metal framing colored white and 10mm hollow polycarbonate sheets.

image © designboom

kitchen and dining area photo by stav gertz

window located in the heart of the home allows for the circulation of air and sunlight to come through the home image © designboom

bird’s-eye view of the kitchen and dining area photo by stav gertz

concrete is used as background support for the stairs image © designboom

handrails are made with metal framing colored white and 10mm hollow polycarbonate sheets. image © designboom

detail image © designboom

raw wood is used as a basic handrail along the wall image © designboom

the master bedroom photo by stav gertz

small ‘courtyard’ photo by stav gertz

sketches of the narrow house

north elevation

south elevation

cross section

longitudinal section

floor plans

1. front yard 2. private garden 3. entrance 4. kitchen 5. dining area 6. living room 7. ‘shelter’ room 8. bedroom 9. bathroom 10. study 11. patio 12. equipment

architecture in israel (111)