TY - JOUR
T1 - New Brutalism, new nation
T2 - Ram Karmi’s assimilation of Brutalism in Israel’s arid region architecture
AU - Gitler, Inbal Ben Asher
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 RIBA Enterprises.
PY - 2021/1/1
Y1 - 2021/1/1
N2 - In this article, I discuss the impact of Brutalism in Israel. I look at the Negev Centre (1962–1965), one of Israel’s first Brutalist buildings by the Israeli architect Ram Karmi. Having studied in Britain, Karmi implemented Alison and Peter Smithson’s Brutalist concepts in his architecture. But he also followed the principles of Team 10. Moreover, since the Negev Centre is located in a desert, he had to adapt Brutalism to an arid climate. As such, his design included elements inspired by Middle Eastern architecture and references to Israeli culture. Analysing Karmi’s theory and practice through its associations with the work of the Smithsons and Team 10, I demonstrate how the social notions of these Western European architects, who proposed a novel relationship between architecture and urban planning, were implemented locally, as Karmi enlisted them for addressing the challenges faced by an Israeli architect. In addition, I show that Karmi adopted an approach to materials similar to that of the Smithsons by assimilating their industrial and ‘poetic’ qualities. Finally, I argue that Karmi’s interpretation of the Smithsons’ work demonstrates that the global spread of Brutalism consisted of a multi-faceted design approach that extended well beyond the use of exposed concrete, expressing social concerns and a renewed engagement with questions of locality.
AB - In this article, I discuss the impact of Brutalism in Israel. I look at the Negev Centre (1962–1965), one of Israel’s first Brutalist buildings by the Israeli architect Ram Karmi. Having studied in Britain, Karmi implemented Alison and Peter Smithson’s Brutalist concepts in his architecture. But he also followed the principles of Team 10. Moreover, since the Negev Centre is located in a desert, he had to adapt Brutalism to an arid climate. As such, his design included elements inspired by Middle Eastern architecture and references to Israeli culture. Analysing Karmi’s theory and practice through its associations with the work of the Smithsons and Team 10, I demonstrate how the social notions of these Western European architects, who proposed a novel relationship between architecture and urban planning, were implemented locally, as Karmi enlisted them for addressing the challenges faced by an Israeli architect. In addition, I show that Karmi adopted an approach to materials similar to that of the Smithsons by assimilating their industrial and ‘poetic’ qualities. Finally, I argue that Karmi’s interpretation of the Smithsons’ work demonstrates that the global spread of Brutalism consisted of a multi-faceted design approach that extended well beyond the use of exposed concrete, expressing social concerns and a renewed engagement with questions of locality.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102866337&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13602365.2021.1896566
DO - 10.1080/13602365.2021.1896566
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102866337
SN - 1360-2365
VL - 26
SP - 316
EP - 339
JO - Journal of Architecture
JF - Journal of Architecture
IS - 3
ER -