Planning and design: Halel Architecture and interior design
Photographs: Maor Moyal, Oded Smadar
"We are coming to Israel, help us choose a house" - this was the message of a couple with four children, who live in Chicago, United States, and decided to fulfill their dream and immigrate to Israel. Their children were of school age, and they knew that in two years, when they arrived in Israel, they would want to live in Ra'anana, they just didn't know where exactly.
Shira Moskal and Hadas Roth, architect and interior designer, owners of the architectural office Halel Architecture and interior design, received the message and knew exactly what to do. In recent years, alongside the architectural work and interior design of their office, they have been leading projects for English-speaking residents who wish to establish their home in Israel and lack the background or knowledge of how to start and who to contact.
"When a family is about to make such a life-changing move, they don't know where to start. In most cases, they will 'decompose' the move into its components, and contact a realtor, a lawyer, and an architect separately, so that everyone will take care of their interests in their own field," they explain. "We coordinate the process with us from A to Z, and all this by remote control. When they are still busy organizing themselves for Aliya, we are here connecting with the real estate professionals to find them the right house and the right environment for them, including the neighborhood WhatsApp groups, And they also help those who are interested in an apartment from a project that is still 'on paper'. We hire a lawyer to handle the formal procedures and, of course, take care of everything related to the planning of the house, the contractor, the professionals, the design of the house of their dreams and, of course, compliance with the budget."
This year, following the spike in anti-Semitism in the world since October 7, interest in living in Israel increased, and the need arose in the office to establish a department specializing in foreign residents under the management of the architectural engineer, Adi Shani. Experience has taught "Halel Architecture and interior design", that the process is well conducted even remotely with the help of zoom conversations, simulations, photos and videos, which eliminate the need to arrive in Israel at such early stages. "Instead of exhausting them upon arriving in Israel, we take upon ourselves the responsibility for the project and treat it in the broad aspect as if it were our baby. We conduct a tour of the relevant neighborhood, to map the environment, examine if the location is noisy and has hazards, or rather the opposite, if it is close to a green environment which doubles its economic value. Sometimes we offer alternatives to earn a bigger apartment, and we always make sure to convey the feelings that the space produces when standing inside the house, in the yard or on a high floor. All this passes through our eyes with high ethical sensitivity."
How is the process carried out?
"The process always begins with questioning in order to understand the needs, the solutions and the planning characteristics that the house will have, and with the visual communication of images and inspirations, concerning the design concept. After the planning solution, we build a three-dimensional model, on which the design concept, including the materials, is put, and the owners of the house get to see the The house they are going to live in. The process is shared and all the parameters are always on the discussion table, and they always know what the planning solutions will look like and how much they will cost."
Halel Architecture and interior design is a firm specializing in the last 20 years in planning and building private homes and has experience in locating, purchasing and investing in properties in Israel for non-residents along with project management and supervision. It is based on a female team of interior designers and architects and alongside it works a team of professionals who are key to the success of every project.
Already upon entering the property, they recognize with natural intuition which wall or window should be opened and which functions and spaces will have to be changed or moved. In the next step, they check the construction rights and carry out an assessment of costs and schedules. "When people see a house, they may miss its architectural aspect. To refine the process, it is desirable that an architect accompany them from the beginning of the journey and throughout it and provide them with the broad professional envelope," they say. For a couple from New York, they planned and prepared the infrastructure for their arrival in Israel and saved the rent that was required for them to manage the event from here. At the end of the process, the father of the family defined them: "You will give the application that helps us in all the elections before immigrating to Israel. You just have to come with your luggage."
They admit that every request from a family that wants to immigrate to Israel excites them, and they give each of them their own personal design, with respect for the collections, culture and art that they bring with them. "When a person goes through such a transformation in his life, it is important to us that the walls around him be the enveloping house he dreamed of, the place that strengthens and recharges him before he goes out to meet the challenging task in his life."