by Nancy Shekter-Porat

profile: Yael Oded
age: 36
born: Ramat Gan, Israel
education: ORT Careers, Jerusalem

A home designed by ORT graduate Yael Oded was featured in the summer 2000 edition of Binyan Vediyur, an Israeli architectural magazine. The magazine chose the home on Moshav Beit Yoshua because its design was "inspired by the orchards and eucalyptus trees in the region. She created a space that is pleasant and spacious while integrating naturally with the surroundings."

Integration with the environment, bio-climatics, the use of local building materials, and organizing the living space according to Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, are the central principles that guide Oded in designing homes. She lauds her teachers at ORT for helping her to develop her working philosophy, "I had wonderful teachers at ORT. I owe them everything. They taught me above and beyond the curriculum. They influenced me and my outlook while allowing me to express my own independent ideas."

Already holding a BS in Biology and an MBA from the Hebrew University, Oded began her studies at ORT Careers in Jerusalem in 1990, at the age of 26. She chose ORT because it suited her lifestyle; "I was married and pregnant when I began studying. ORT made it possible for me to study in the evenings and work during the day."

Yael Oded's ties to both architecture and ORT go back to her grandfather Zvi Sreberny, who was an architect. After escaping the horrors of the Holocaust by finding refuge in Russia, the family returned to Germany, where Sreberny served as a director of ORT. In 1948, her grandmother, an ardent Zionist, prevailed and the family moved to Israel, where her grandfather became the city engineer of Petach Tikvah.

Grandpa Sreberny clearly influenced Oded's career choice. "Architecture is in my genes," she says, and proudly displays her grandfather's old drafting tools, which she keeps in her desk even though she does all her own drafting work on a computer.

For Oded, being a woman in the building profession is a continuous challenge. "Discrimination is a given," she says, but over the years she has found builders and contractors who can work comfortably with women. "However," she notes ruefully, "sometimes a client brings his own building team and they talk rudely and disrespectfully to me. I'm sure they wouldn't dare speak that way to a man." While she had some very difficult moments in the early years of her career, experience has taught her how to deal with unpleasant situations.

Oded's office is in her home in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat HaSharon. "For the most part I love working at home," she explains. "I don't have to contend with traffic jams. If I'm under pressure to finish a project I can work in the evenings. Sometimes, however, not leaving the house and not seeing people can be difficult." She is currently building a new home for her husband and two sons ages 5 and 9.