HaGefen House, Zichron Yaakov

Historical Background

HaGefen House is a historic stone masonry structure constructed in 1888 in the Templer architectural style. Originally built as a single-story residential structure, it remained abandoned and unmaintained for many years, leading to significant deterioration, including collapse of ceilings and collapse of historic stone masonry. Following a comprehensive process of historic building conservation and structural rehabilitation, the building was converted into a boutique hotel called “Ruach Boutique HaGefen.” This adaptive reuse reflects the urban transformation of Zikhron Ya’akov and the broader shift toward repurposing historic buildings for tourism.

Project Goals

Removal of later additions to the building and exposure of the original historical structure.
Structural stabilization of the existing building while preserving its authenticity.
Historic building conservation and adaptation of the building for its current use as a hotel.

Engineering Challenges

Our team faced several critical challenges during this project. The original structure was in extremely poor condition, with collapse of historic stone masonry and ceilings from years of abandonment.

During the work, we discovered a hidden system of underground spaces, which required immediate engineering attention. A key challenge was stabilizing the walls of these underground spaces after they were emptied of soil. This task required a carefully planned intervention to avoid collapse.

Another challenge was integrating these underground spaces with the aboveground structure, ensuring full structural stability while enabling practical use of the entire building.

Engineering Solutions

The project originally focused on stabilizing the aboveground structure. However, when we discovered the underground spaces, we designed a new structural support system using advanced engineering solutions, allowing for controlled excavation and stabilization of the walls.

Our engineering design created a structural connection between the underground rooms and the ground floor, resulting in a unified and stable configuration suitable for its new function as a boutique hotel. We used minimal intervention principles throughout the process to preserve the building’s historical character.

The final outcome is a conserved and rehabilitated building that successfully combines historical authenticity with contemporary functionality.