The Mivtachim sanitarium in Zichron Ya’akov is a brutalist masterpiece set on the forested slopes of Mount Carmel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The simple yet complex design of the serpentine-shaped modular structure makes it appear to be “crowning” the mountain.
The building was designed by the Israeli architect Jacob Rechter in 1968 and immediately gained world-wide recognition, appearing in numerous international magazines and earning Rechter the prestigious Israel Award for architecture in 1973. Along with other brutalist icons, the Mivtachim Sanitarium was an idealistic, utopian structure, encapsulating the socialist ideas prevalent in 1960's Israel.
