Archaeological House | o2a studio

The house is located in Ramat-Yishai in the Izrael Valley, inhabiting a lot consisting of a 1,200 year-old archaeological site.
The original plan and layout of the historic building were reconstructed and employed in order to construct the two main walls of the house. These walls are a direct continuation of the historic walls and rise all the way to the roof of the house. All the spaces of the house are tied to these walls and the archaeology is visible from every point. The historic structure - both physically and conceptually - supports the new structure.

Additionally, the houses orientation towards the west allows for a view of the historic site in the garden and the landscape of the valley. The western orientation makes use of the wind direction and helps cool the house during the summer. The tall space between the walls helps with the interior wind circulation and drives the hot air outside.

The building is clad with a layer of wooden slats in various widths. These slats can all rise and provide a maximum feeling of openness towards the scenery and direct sunlight during the winter. During the summer the lowered slats help shade the interior while still allowing in diffused sunlight. Furthermore, the temporality of the wood as opposed to the stone and concrete and the stratification created through these slats accentuates the fact that the new house is nothing more but a new layer in the ongoing history of the site.