Karmi Family

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Karmi Family. Israeli architects. Dov Karmi (1905–62) set up his practice in Tel Aviv in 1936, and built a number of residential buildings influenced by Le Corbusier (with brisessoleil, pilotis, etc). He did much to promote Modernism in Israel, and designed the Histadrut HQ, Tel Aviv (1950–6), and the Knesset (Parliament) Building, Jerusalem (1955–66— with Joseph Klarwein (1893–1970) ). His son, Ram (1931– ), with Z. Melzer, joined Dov Karmi's firm in 1956, and a number of buildings followed, featuring exposed reinforced concrete and natural timber (an example is the El Al office, Tel Aviv (1962–3) ). Dov Karmi's daughter, Ada Karmi-Melamede (1936– ) joined the firm (called Karmi Associates) in 1964. Buildings such as the Hadar Dafna offices (1964–8) and the Lady Davies Amal Technical School (1970–4), both in Tel Aviv, display the influence of the Brutalism with which Ram Karmi had been influenced during his studies in London. However, the firm's Israel Supreme Court Building, Jerusalem (1986–93), with its walls pierced by rectangular and arched openings, and its water-features recalling those of the Alhambra, Granada, and of Schinkel at Charlottenhof, Potsdam, returned to traditional monumental architecture based on Classical geometries.

Bibliography

Kalman (1994);
Jane Turner (1996)