Barud House

Barud – a warning cry used by minors before exploding rock walls in Jerusalem.

From our very first visit to the site, struck by the sight of a pink Cyclamen growing out of the rocky face, we decided to let ourselves to be guided by the raw state of the terrain. Our treatment of the site emerged from the stabilitas loci, which we subdivided into three main themes: Jerusalem, a city of rock and stone; the wide aerial views; and the various, sacred religious structures that intersect the skyline. These images made up the substance and backdrop for the project.

The house is positioned to incorporate the mountain, with the L-shaped first floor running along the exposed rock wall. The living space, screened by glass, pairs a view of the minimal and pure geometric form of the rock on one side, and a panorama of the landscape on the other. The two upper levels, in contrast, rest perpendicular to the rock face, and converge with the rock to form a tunnel. The passageway leads from +6 meters at the top of the site, down to a subterranean room at -3 meters, descending further to a secret second entrance.

Whether seen from the road or the path, which curls between the drystone walls and Cypress trees of a nearby property, the house appears as a woven surface, a bas-relief almost. This effect is established by alternating 53 x 25 cm pieces of Jerusalem stone. The patterned surface establishes a powerful relationship between the building and the variations in lighting of the passing day and the seasons. The composition of natural contours, the mountain and the house create an overlay of the constructed and natural landscapes. If on the outside the chiaroscuro pattern seems screen-printed, the building’s interior allows light to penetrate its levels, accentuating its depth. Inside the house, daily life runs parallel to the exposed rock, separated only by a slender gap, or wadi: a tribute to the winter rain and snow.