00 The Crown of David Garden, 2006, Jerusalem, west side view Left: View to the pergola In 2006, Arthur Spector of Spector-Amishar Architects approached me for a proposal for an internal garden stretching from the western side of YMCA’s historic building to the designated new building planned by his firm. The area, which once served as a football field for Beitar Jerusalem, became a new compound entitled “David’s Crown”, built by Rasco and headed by Shlomo Eisenberg. For the first time in my career I was asked to transform a multidimensional functional space into an aesthetic experience. A central water axis intersects the symmetrical garden, draining water to a collection point at the western entrance of YMCA. Two pedestrian axes, from the garden’s north-western and south-western corners also lead to this point. The pedestrian axes intersect two amorphic squares which soften the axes’ stiff symmetry and offer pleasant seating areas. The center of each square displays a sculptural element: A shading pergola in one, and a cypress-like sculpture in the other, both serving unique landmarks in the architectural fabric and landscape of the garden. In planning the topography and greenery I was joined by my colleague architect Zvi Dekel, who adorned the garden with a spectacular botanical diversity.
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