165 Sataf Forest Visitors Center

Architecture: Gilad-Shiff Architects; Landscape design: AR(A) Landscape & Urban Design, 2025

Tours with the architects Galit Shiff and Yael Gilad, which will focus on the principles of local ecological architecture, as implemented in the building they designed in the Sataf Forest. The building is an information center that deals with KKL-JNF and the hiking trails in the area. It also offers a respite in nature against the backdrop of the magnificent landscape (with spaces for guides with groups and a coffee shop). Its design specifically aimed to minimize the footprint in the mountainous landscape. The building combines elements of green construction, including an integral solar roof that is connected to the electrical grid, an extensive green roof that does not require irrigation and improves the thermal insulation, and underground systems that help manage stormwater runoff for flood prevention and recharge purposes.

The visitors center, which is part of the Sataf site, illustrates traditional agriculture practices. It is also the starting point of the hiking trails in the vicinity and in the Judean Hills, used by the more than one million hikers who come there every year.