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From: "Architexturez." <interface.services@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 15:00:22 +0530
Death of a fiercely independent voice
By Esther Zandberg
Architect David Yanai died on Saturday at the age of 71. He was laid to
rest on Monday at the Yarkon Cemetery.
Yanai was born in Jerusalem and was a graduate of the architecture
faculty at the Technion-Institute of Technology, Haifa, where he also
taught for more than 40 years until his retirement about three years
ago. His work was not part of the architectural mainstream and for the
most part remained on paper. He was a controversial figure who aroused
polarized reactions.
Alongside his work he always struggled, fought, sounded the alarm, came
out against some issue or filed suit, whether in the professional,
public or personal realm. The outstanding buildings he planned are
located in Haifa, where he lived for decades until his death: the Israel
Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, which "dabbles it
feet in the water," as architect Ram Karmi described it and Beit Halohem
on the Carmel in Haifa, "which displays with impressive virtuosity in
geometric combinations," as architect Abba Elhanani wrote of it.
Beit Halohem became famous among the general public and in the media
primarily because of its connection to a corruption scandal in its
construction that Yanai exposed.
cont'd....
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/803248.html