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[ REAL ESTATE ]
ENCHANTED LUXURY
Ten homes overlooking the Mediterranean and nestling amid golden sand dunes just 20 kilometres outside of Tel Aviv. The sculpted angularity of the Arsuf Residences highlights the power of nature without marring the landscape by Roxanne Hughes ph. by Amit Geron
T
wenty years in development, the Arsuf Residences now proudly take their place on the coastal clifftops of Arsuf, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
These 10 private dwellings form a gated community just 20 kilometres outside Tel Aviv, adja-
cent to the Apollonia National Park. Nestled in this dramatic landscape, the property partners the built environment with the natural elements to create a sense of understated luxury. Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture are responsible for the building’s striking lines, cantilevered concrete and west-facing tiered terraces, all intended to maximise ocean views while leaving scope for individual influence on the interior styling. A forward-thinking and innovative style has won the firm, which has offices in Israel and France, international awards for its approach to urban planning and conceptual design. Despite the building’s modern, angular appearance, its white fair-faced concrete construction eases the architecture into the landscape, integrating the building’s façade into the surrounding sand dunes. Latticed canopies shed a geometric shaded pattern on the outside spaces while allowing for an influx of sunlight to the interior and work to soften the edges of the concrete against the sky. Advanced build and engineering methods have overcome the challenges of what would otherwise be a highly corrosive environment. A cleverly strategic design exploits the unusually shaped plot and is anchored into the terrain via asymmetrical columns, which in turn form part of the building’s aesthetic.
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The severity of the white concrete and glass facade is lightened and offset by latticed canopies that create geometric motifs through the interplay of light and shadow while allowing sunlight to pour into the interior. Opposite, a terrace with interior architecture by Tamar Kerner Architects
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[ REAL ESTATE ]
Horizontal bridge walkways, selfsupporting stairs, enormous sea-facing terraces and swathes of glazing create a sense of spectacular exclusivity in these 10 private residences. Left, an example with interio designed by Amir Hazak
The internal space is spectacular, an artistic feat of design that bor-
diverse internal aesthetic can thus be created. As much as this proper-
ders on an optical illusion. Horizontal bridge walkways and self-sup-
ty is about community, it also about individuality as Asaf Gottesman
porting stairs hang above a darkened reflective pool in the building’s
comments, “It was our view that the building would benefit from a
lower level, further highlighted by a creative lighting scheme that ac-
diversity of perspectives and interpretations, and that the building
centuates the volume of space.
was so strong that it could serve as a wonderful case study for how
Residents are encouraged to select their own interior designers for
individual clients and designers can use the potential of each space.�
their individual properties, with the intention that a truly unique and
http://gsarch.org
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