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Article: Architecture: Building on history in the Holy Land
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 13, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1994 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Like an adult in mid-life crisis, Israel - 46 years old - is
experiencing a time of painful soul-searching. This is reflected
not only in its internal politics, but also in its architecture.
Not just in the rigidly geometric and fortress-like housing estates
(complete with gun emplacements) overlooking the sprawling and open
Arab villages of the West Bank, but also in such symbolically
complex buildings as the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, designed by
the sister-and-brother team of Ada Karmi-Melamede and Ram Karmi.
Constructed painstakingly of Jerusalem stone, the Supreme Court
is a striking composition of sweeping lines, ziggurat-like stepped
walls and imposing cylinders. In the centre ...