PROJECTS

Developments + Investments
- - 133 ON South 1
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      133 ON South 1
      
      The 133 ON S 1 consists of six urban casual-contemporary residences. The design is driven by a passion for community and sustainability and characterized by green construction techniques and innovative use of materials.
      
      The building is made with state of the art ecological materials such as Resista wood, certified forest floors, and light gauge recyclable steel. The building boasts high efficiency HVAC systems, air purification systems, water saving and Energy Star appliances and fixtures.
      
      The detachable façade has a subtle play of materials; Resista wood, Rustic Steel railing cubes, and glass windows that resonate with the industrial spirit of Williamsburg and allow a glimpse of the inner Corbusian structure of the units.
      
      Residents can enjoy common elements and are encouraged to care for and develop them. A rainwater English garden creates a green lung effect. In the lobby, the center art / library piece creates an opportunity to communicate and exchange while the bike room, laundry room, and common roof deck allow additional social interaction.
  - N7
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      N7 is a nine-loft unit condominium in the North side of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Inspired by current ecological and environmental trends, the project serves as a sustainable influence within the community.
      
      Its glass façade references the surrounding condition through reflection and interaction. A system of apertures reveals glimpses of interior spaces and highlights various internal elements while preserving tenants’ privacy.
      
      Each of the façade windows extends beyond the floor planes, emphasizing community and relations between the inhabitants. By utilizing ideas of porosity and permeability, the building enhances its surroundings through improved air quality and light.
      
      Environmentally friendly materials such as concrete aerated walls, Dura board partitions, and a low emission glass are used to contribute to a healthy, comfortable and sustainable habitat.
  - Bushwick Investment
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      163 Montrose transformed a rundown construction site into a three stories loft-like apartment building in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. The renovation included gutting out apartments and the structural reinforcing of the building, foundation, new kitchens, bathrooms, electrical, plumbing, renovation of the backyard, and the construction of a second floor outdoor deck.
      
      Environmental features were given to this renovation by restoring the wooden floors to their original condition in a recycling process. The façade was fully reformed using a natural mineral plaster and energy saving double glazed windows. Most notably, the studio has salvaged old wooden columns and beams and reused them for structural and architectural purposes. The apartments were given an outdoor space providing the inhabitants with a healthy and stress-free environment.
  - Pataya Bay Condominiums
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      A client’s request for the development of a magnificent site in Pataya Bay, Thailand, became the opportunity to design a sophisticated 50-story tower of luxury residences defined by a contemporary beachfront lifestyle.
      
      The development has a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units that can be combined, as well as six exceptional duplex penthouses with private pools and fourteen four-bedroom private villas with private island and pools.
      This unique complex is complete with a world class spa and fitness club, a double height lobby with an adjacent beachfront dining restaurant, outdoor private massage cabanas, a full-size outdoor tennis court, and a sky garden on the 30th floor.
  - Rahaf Resort
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      Rahaf Dead Sea day spa and resort is a proposed development with approved plans for 40 secluded suites with private pools on ten dunams. The location is a short drive to Masada mountain and offers stunning views of the Dead Sea.
      
      Through ecological and holistic vision, the resort will be built with local earth bricks and an architectural approach of simplicity and sustainability, in order to provide a base for relaxation, meditation, and gatherings in the magical ambiance of the desert.
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Housing + Residence
- - Friedman House
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      Located on Hess 12 Tel Aviv, Friedman house is a building from the turn of the century built in the eclectic style, in 1924 by Yehuda Magidovitch — Tel Aviv’s first city architect.
      
      In the spirit of Magidovitch, the interior design is also eclectic. It takes advantage of the double ceiling height and uses a collection of local, restored, and sustained materials. This includes hand-painted tiles, light fixtures, and built-in cabinets. The end result is a harmonious feel and enhanced historical beauty that combines the most high-end technological advances.
  - The Architect’s Residence
    - A white box in one of Williamsburg’s original waterfront industrial buildings is transformed into a bold, yet warm 2400 square foot loft.
      
      The design allows the exposure of the original materials from the building’s industrial shell, creating a balance between existing elements and new ones. Environmentally conscious materials were used, such as water-based finishes and Peruvian Walnut from a certified green lumber yard. The individual bedrooms are partitioned with a straw based Durra-board and a geothermal heat pump utilizes the earth’s temperature to heat and cool the space. Contemporary finishes like Bisazza tiles, Phillip Starck and Boffi shower sets, are combined with handcrafted solutions such as Lifeform’s custom-made countertops.
      
      The kitchen island is a one-of-a-kind 18th century workbench that was purchased at a flea market and refurbished. The working kitchen also boasts a reclaimed commercial turn of the century stainless steel double sink that was purchased in the Bowery in downtown NYC. The original concrete floors have been buffed and refinished to create a smooth and resistant surface. The space reflects an environmentally sensible architecture achieved within the context of style and comfort.
      
      Photographs by JC Paz
  - TriBeCa Loft
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      A blend of minimalism and luxury characterize this apartment at 166 Duane Park Residence. It’s an attractive coming together of the industrial open space of TriBeCa Lofts, and the comfort and style of a New York home.
      
      Horizontal ceiling beams revel in the sun-filled loft space of the open kitchen and living room. Handpainted wooden floors are met by a polished concrete floor that defines the space of the kitchen island, and serves a central meeting point for the apartment.
      
      Beyond the living areas, the residence boasts two minimally furnished renovated bedrooms.
      
      Fittings by Michael S. Smith
  - Harris Residence
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      The lifestyle of a young photographer and his family was the starting concept for the design of this loft renovation. The result is a modern space that reflects its owner’s identity.
      
      Metal screen doors are introduced to define spaces and create multiple layers, while a high-tech custom Bulthaup bar and kitchen completes the space.
      
      Photographs by Brad Harris
  - Roabling
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      The Roebling Residence combines two bi-level villas with a common roof deck that insulates in summer and winter and can be used for recreation. The interweaving of daylight is an important design feature.
      
      The façade elements allow varying transparencies and textures to linger from the outside. The dynamic layout of the façades are planned to resolve the notable deep and long interiors. The materials applied emphasize the division of a solid private space and a more permeable public space.
  - West Village Roofdeck
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      This rooftop garden with Japanese accents provides an ecological retreat and unique outdoor space for a West Village family.
      
      The roof works to moderate heat gain, as well as to provide sound insulation, neutralize pollutants, and reduce runoff. Black stone, undulating woven bamboo, a circulating pond, bridge, and lush vegetation create a tranquil atmosphere for repose and gathering.
      
      Photographs by JC Paz
  - Heiferman Residence
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      A custom-made suspended countertop highlights this minimal kitchen that becomes the center of this innovative loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
      
      Photographs by Brad Harris
  - Cabinet House
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      The project is set on the lakeside of the Oskawana Lake in Putnam Valley, New York. The client, a photographer, requested a minimal space with a potential room to display his work.
      
      The solution proposed is an open layout that integrates the outside views into its interiors, while a central element that runs throughout the house acts as a cabinet for storage, a platform for children’s theater, and hides various furniture pieces that fold and unfold into the spaces. The result is a flexible solution that combines functionality, design, and the surrounding landscape.
  - Montrose
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      163 Montrose’s design is focused in the relation between an existing structure and the introduction of new architectural elements, resulting in a three-story apartment building where old and new becomes a visionary understanding of urban living.
      
      The existing structure is preserved and acts as a host for the new architecture. The building becomes the perfect choice for a fresh lifestyle in the Bushwick area — a vibrant place for a new creative community.
      
      Photographs by JC Paz
  - Harris Boathouse
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      Set in the lakeside area of Putnam Valley, New York, this private sanctuary serves as both a retreat and a place to entertain.
      
      Constructed out of prefabricated Ipe lumber resulting in 32 custom-sized joints, this skeletal structure stands as a unique sculptural space. With the exception of curtains in the semi-enclosed sleeping area, the structure is open to nature. Made to withstand changing seasons, the Ipe lumber weathers beautifully without compromising structural integrity.
      
      This boathouse becomes a unique object in its natural setting by taking advantage of the prime views that surround it, resulting in harmonizing nature and construction and erasing the boundary between them.
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Sustainability + Community
- - First Step Housing Shelter
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      Kit of Parts represents a dignified, ecologically responsible dwelling alternative for marginalized or displaced people. Commitment to community, dignity, sustainability, and the ability to evolve led to its creation.
      
      Easily assembled dwellings engage inhabitants in constructing their space. Active participation in assembly and design serves as a vehicle to restore and to build individual and community confidence.
      
      Fabrication of parts in the local economy creates job opportunities. During times of disaster, the more capable members of the community assist the injured and the needy in rebuilding their homes. This process creates social equity and acts as a bonding agent in the re-emerging community.
      
      Through the shelter, architectural innovations previously available to only an elite few are now made accessible to marginalized populations, communities with limited resources, and disaster zones.
      
      A kit of parts is the main idea followed throughout the design of the unit. The parts are prefabricated and ready to assemble at a minimum expenditure of cost and time. The shelter is designed to maintain its assemblage qualities and that results in an invitation for personalization and customization of the room over time and according to the specific user.
      
      Kit of Parts is designed as a place of transition. Future guests will be able to use their current skills and take on responsibility and confidence in the realization of their own personal space. They can make the shelter fit their needs and be reintroduced to the advantages of private space, community, and the benefits of societal participation.
      
      The design of the unit allows for several types of homeless people to use the same kit to create their own individual space. Three prototypes that we have identified and specifically considered in our design are The Loner, The Creator, and The Collector.
      
      The floor layout and overall size of the unit is determined by its ability to store minimum furnishings. The door of each unit has an opening insert that allows communication, exchange and display to take place among dwellers. When a number of units are put together in two rows, they create a corridor. This becomes a place of community and interaction: a marketplace or interior street.
      
      The unit dimensions are 312 cm. x 208 cm. and it contains a bed, chair, desk and shelving to meet the basic needs of the inhabitant.
      
      The materials chosen for the units are light, durable, sustainable, fire-proofed, low cost, welcoming, clean and colorful, and borrowed from the aviation, marine, and ecological building industry.
      
      Photographs by Brad Harris and Rafi Elbaz
  - Point Pleasant Hydroforest
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      The Hydroforest represents an efficient, self-contained system that corresponds to the needs of freshwater as a vital component for renewal. It’s designed to help generate, preserve, and maintain the forest ecosystem of Point Pleasant.
  - ReORDER
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      The ReORDER housing prototype is an affordable, high quality solution to today’s biggest housing issues. Research and analysis of Brooklyn’s demographics led to unit configurations based on meeting the varying needs of inhabitants and community. Desired units can be ordered from a catalogue, allowing mass production and prefabrication of parts.
  - Rhizmo Home
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      Rhizmo Home is a new concept in sustainable, affordable, portable housing. Architectural innovations mainly developed and utilized in wealthy countries are incorporated into dwellings suitable for marginalized, transient populations with limited resources. Easily assembled dwellings actively engage people in constructing and configuring their habitat.
      
      Interior design allows for choice regarding the arrangement of elements. Non-toxic, ecologically responsible building materials are respectful of both the inhabitants and the surrounding environment. Components are multi-use: a desk becomes a gathering place at mealtime; storage bins normally tucked under platform beds double as seating; soft shelving and storage units can be folded, snapped, and used as carriers. The conviction that these architectural advances can be made available to a wide population at a low cost led Rafi Elbaz and the Lifeform team to create Rhizmo Home.
      
      Rhizmo Home is a kit of parts. The parts are prefabricated and ready to assemble to ensure the owner\'s active participation as well as a minimum expenditure of cost and time. The kit may be easily assembled and disassembled, thus allowing for personalization and customization of the shelter over time according to the user’s evolving needs.
      
      Inhabitants choose options for each dwelling, participate in construction, and configure the interior elements. Single unit shelters are currently being installed by Common Ground in New York City to meet the housing needs of homeless individuals in the Bowery area of New York City. For group living, units may be combined. Multiple unit dwellings easily adapt to diverse situations and styles, from communal bedding arrangements with more emphasis on shared areas, to bunk arrangements that accommodate individual needs for private space.
      
      The composite board that will be used for the exterior walls has been adapted from materials developed for the aviation and marine industries. Soy-based polyurethane resin reinforced with fibrous materials such as chicken feathers or straw is used as a skin over polypropylene foam, a recyclable material with virtually no by-products. The vacuum infusion system used for the manufacture of these boards does not discharge VOC\'s into the atmosphere and complies with environmental regulations. The manufacturing technology is easily transferable and available fibrous materials may be substituted, thus allowing for local manufacture. These materials and processes have been developed in partnership with organic chemists and composite manufacturers. A grant from Holcim would be used among other things to support further innovations in our materials.
  - Tsunami Memorial in Oslo, Norway
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      An installation of intertwining wood poles, metal piping wraps, and an open meditation space becomes the design for this tsunami memorial.The structure reacts to the elements and visuals, capturing nature’s choreography. The memorial is dedicated to embrace the cycle of nature and life. Constantly regenerating from ongoing natural changes and forces, the installation symbolically represents a hopeful and optimistic spirit.
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Public
- - Bezalel Academy
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      The Bezalel Academy design proposition is based on the understanding of Jerusalem and its urban elements and behaviors. A tectonic analysis of a typical Jerusalem alleyway reveals conditions such as a frame, entrance, connection, gateway, passage, and bridge. These elements were used to compose the playfields.
      
      Several design decisions for the main buildings and landscaping were based on sustainable solutions and proposing a more responsible and environmentally friendly approach to architecture.
      
      The façade of the building is designed as a stone envelope combined with Low E glass panels that improve energy conservation and reduce heat gain. Rainwater is allowed to permeate the soil in almost half of the 2,200 M2 public plaza. The further use of permeable pavement will allow rainwater to infiltrate the soil at a more natural rate. The use of low maintenance, drought tolerant native vegetation will reduce the need for irrigation, creating a water efficient landscape.
      
      Operating costs will be minimized with the use of sustainable, healthy materials and products with proven durability. Materials such as exposed concrete, Durra-board partitions, and low VOC paints, will contribute to the longevity of the Bezalel Academy. The entire site layout and specific classroom areas are designed to maximize natural daylight and eliminate electric lighting use, further reducing operation and maintenance costs.
  - Helsingor Library 2.0
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      Library 2.0 is a model that reflects a transformation from the outdated, one-directional library service into an evolving center of knowledge. This flow of information from the user to the library and back, allows for an evolving project to be formed and transformed by the community where it’s placed.
      
      A library that seeks to challenge its social identity to become an open cultural forum providing an interactive, non-hierarchical exchange of information dissolving the boundaries between author/reader and information/the public.
  - High Line
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      Lifeform was awarded a “jury selection” in the Designing the Highline Competition; an open, international solicitation of ideas and proposal for the High Line’s reuse. For the competition, 720 individuals and teams from 36 countries submitted proposals.
  - Platz vor Dem Neuen Tor
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Product
- - Ari
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      Ari is a shelving system made with modular compartments that can be easily interchanged to create new layouts according to different needs.
  - Boris
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      Boris is a credenza with removable cd compartments above stereo bay material, bent veneered plywood and lacquered door composition.
  - Momo
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      Momo is an urban minibar for the occasional party, easily stored under the bed or a closet.
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Born in Israel and raised in multiple African countries, he first gained architectural expertise in developing and manufacturing curtain walls. Mr. Elbaz moved to NYC in 1986 and graduated in 1995 from Cooper Union School of Architecture. Afterwards, he continued honing his skills with such masters as Peter Eisenman, Raymond Abrahams, and Joseph Paul Kleihues in Berlin.

Elbaz has served as adjunct professor at Pratt Institute and Jerusalem University, as well as a visiting critic at various universities. His work has been covered in the US and internationally in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Architects Newspaper, Metropolis Magazine, and more. Rafi Elbaz brings over 20 years worth of experience and mastery in architecture, manufacturing, and development with an emphasis on community and sustainable design.

He is a Current participant in the AMDP program at Harvard University for Global leadership in Advanced Real Estate Development.

Awards + Exhibitions

Winner – First Step Housing Competition
Jury Selection – Highline Competition
Finalist – National Sustainable Leadership Award

Elbaz has exhibited his work at MoMA PS1’s The Urban Center, The Center for Architecture NYC, Paris’ Centre Pompidou, and other renowned venues.

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SINSSA is an industry leading light steel frame sustainable design and build company dedicated to providing cost effective high quality houses utilizing the latest steel framing technologies

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FilterPure is a non-profit organization that manufactures and distributes ceramic water filtration devices in developing countries. They are committed to providing safe drinking water to at risk populations in the developing world. They use proven low-tech water purification technology that is completely sustainable and effective. We are proud to partner with them in our Build to Give Campaign.

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Lifeform is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in community development and sustainability.

Since 2000, they’ve created contemporary buildings, private dwellings, humanitarian shelters, and some beautiful interiors. They’ve worked tirelessly to ensure our products are seamlessly integrated into urban and rural communities. Their multidisciplinary approach allows them to fulfill projects that are practical while maintaining balance between cultural, economic, and environmental needs.

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Tulip Group is a world-class property developer and owner of condominiums, hotels, and resorts in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand. They are rapidly growing to be the preferred choice for discerning clients who are looking for the very best in design, location, facilities, and a truly exquisite five-star lifestyle.

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AAGT Aluminum + Glass Technologies (AAGT) is a leader in aluminum and glass façades for commercial and residential construction in Thailand and export markets. They design, develop, and manufacture aluminum systems while providing extensive support to the clients and their representatives from the project’s inception to its completion. ISO 9001 certified.

THE MODERN WILLIAMSBURG

Clients & References

Paola Antonelli

Curator, MoMA Department of Architecture and Design, New York
Bruno Racine

President of Centre Pompidou, France
Rosanne Haggarty

President Common Ground Community
Evan Douglis Chair

Dean of Renssaeler school of Architecture
Richard Tuttle

Artist, Sperone Westwater Galler
Tara Bahrampour

New York Times, Magazine Journalist
Jim O’Grady

New York Times
Brad Harris

Photographer
Scott Heiferman

CEO Meet Up
Randall Bernshon

B&H Building Corporation
Sarah Milstein

Journalist
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald

Dreamworks

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