Project name: E30 – House in Caesarea
Architect Firm: Raz Melamed Architect
Location: Israel
Photo: Amit Geron
Year: 2025
Project description from design firms Raz Melamed Architect
E30 – House in Caesarea
Israeli architect Raz Melamed has completed a house in Caesarea designed around a swimming pool, reversing the conventional relationship between the home and its leisure space. The project was commissioned by a couple in their 50s as a weekend retreat for hosting their children and grandchildren, and later evolved into a full-time residence with multiple bedroom suites and generous communal areas.
A defining feature of the house is an exposed black steel beam measuring 44 centimetres in height, which is expressed as a continuous architectural element throughout the project. Rather than being concealed, the beam is used to organise the plan, divide levels, and frame the main public spaces.
Inside the house, the beam extends as a bridge, connecting the staircase to the bedroom wing. In the double-height living area, it bisects the glazed façade horizontally, maintaining uninterrupted views of the sky while reinforcing the building’s linear geometry. Toward the garden, the beam continues outward to support a cantilevered pergola that shades the outdoor seating area without columns, allowing clear views of the swimming pool.
The entrance façade is finished in white plaster, articulated with horizontal joints and vertical wooden slats. These wooden elements provide both visual warmth and functional benefits, concealing the staircase and allowing natural ventilation. Travertine flooring runs continuously from the interior to the exterior, reinforcing the connection between the house and the garden.
Public spaces are arranged as a sequence of dining and living areas beneath a double-height ceiling. A restrained palette of wood, black metal and neutral tones is used throughout, while layered lighting combines suspended fixtures with recessed spotlights to address both scale and functionality.
The kitchen is arranged in a parallel layout with an island and white Corian worktops, alongside a tall wooden façade that conceals storage and mechanical systems. Thisrises to the full height of the double-height space, intersected by the black steel beam.
The ground-floor master suite opens directly onto the pool and is finished with parquet flooring. Its adjoining bathroom combines travertine surfaces with black granite walls, black fittings and white Corian fixtures. Additional bedrooms and leisure spaces, including a home cinema and games room, are located in the basement and on the upper floor, which are connected by floating black steel stairs and a glass-railed bridge.
Outdoor areas include multiple seating zones, an open-air kitchen and a travertine-clad swimming pool aligned flush with the garden level. Minimal landscaping allows the pool and architectural structure to remain the dominant elements on the site.
