A black steel staircase links the six storeys of this townhouse in Tel Aviv by Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem (+ slideshow).

Pitsou Kedem designed the house for a family and added a private terrace and swimming pool on the rooftop.

"The owners wanted to create the experience of life in a private residence, but within the city," said architect Pitsou Kedem. "The authentic urban skyline reveals Tel Aviv's rooftops to those in the courtyard and thus realises the urban experience that the owners wanted to achieve."

All but one of the house's floors opens out onto a balcony or terrace.

A penthouse with sliding glass doors leads out to the roof deck and swimming pool, which are encased behind a clear glass balustrade.

The fourth floor contains a study, small living space and a spa. A combined kitchen and living room occupies the floor below and is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.

The parents of the family have an entire floor to themselves, with an en-suite bathroom and extensive closet space, while two more bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the level below, and belong to the children.

A guest suite consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and living space can be found on the ground floor and opens out to a small enclosed terrace.

The black steel staircase ascends through the rear corner of the house, beside a grey silicate-block wall. Exposed timber floors and wooden panelling also feature throughout.

Tel Aviv Townhouse is the latest in a string of residential projects completed by Pitsou Kedem in the Israeli city, following a renovated house with vaulted ceilings and stone walls and a house with double-height glass walls that slide back across its facade.

Photography is by Amit Geron.

Here's a description from the architects:

Town House in Tel Aviv

A 270 square metre plot was used as the foundation for a Tel Aviv town house consisting of a basement and an additional 6 floors. The owners wanted to create the experience of life in a private residence but within the city.

The architect Pitsou Kedem designed an urban style courtyard on the roof and, as a result, reversed the usually, permanent, order of things. The authentic, urban skyline reveals to those in the courtyard, Tel Aviv's rooftops and thus realises the urban experience that the owners wanted to achieve.

The architectural design was based on a cross section of the structure whilst creating a physical and visual relationship between all the floors. Each floor encompasses an area of some 100 square meters with every floor being used for a different purpose. This enables the house's residents to create common meeting spaces alongside separated spaces that, together, maximise the usage off the space and maximise the privacy that day to day life in a home requires.

Thus, the design incorporates a separate floor for the parents living area which includes a large library, a floor devoted to children's rooms, a common living floor and the upper floor for the pool. Wooden paneling is used around openings on the ground floor and is also used to disguise the entrance hall and a separate living unit.

The home's internal stairwell is designed as a dramatic, vertical line. In contrast to the stairwell common in most apartment buildings which is usually designed to be hidden from view, in this design the stairwell is open and runs along a wall covered with grey silicate blocks.

Architects: Pitsou Kedem Architects
Design team: Pitsou Kedem, Hagar Tzvi, Hila Sela
Location: Tel Aviv
Size: 610 square metres
Plot size: 260 sqm
Total floor area: 450 sqm
Design & build : 2009-2012
Program: Single family house