Perched on the edge of a village by the Sea of Galilee in Israel, this house by Golany Architects features numerous balconies that can be shaded by rolling wooden screens.

Set on the slopes of the Jordan Rift Valley, Golany Architects wanted to make the most of the potential views out over the Sea of Galilee when designing the home.
On an early site visit the Tel Aviv-based architects set up a ladder on the empty lot and climbed it to determine the minimum level they could build to achieve maximum vistas.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing on both levels provides far-reaching views out over the garden, across the fields of the village and down to the inland Sea of Galilee to the front, and Mount Canaan to the rear.
The linear design of the shutters is clean and modern, but is in fact inspired by traditional Mashrabiya architecture. Carved wooden latticework on the side of buildings has been used in architecture in the Mediterranean and Islamic world since the 12th century. The earliest examples have been found in Baghdad in Iraq, dating from the Abbasid period.
The wooden screens are a simple but effective way of adapting buildings to the environment of the region. The shutter effect filters the sun, allowing it to illuminate the interior but deflecting the harshest rays and keeping the rooms cool. They also double as a privacy screen.
The windows and doors are recessed slightly from the outer facade of the shutters, creating an envelope that helps keep the house naturally cool e...