Zvi Hecker

Zvi Hecker was a Polish-born Israeli architect whose buildings are known for their geometry and asymmetry.

1931 to 2023Bat Yam City HallRamot Polin neighborhood in JerusalemHeinz Galinski School in BerlinThe Palmach Museum

Born: 31 May 1931, Kraków
Died: 24 September 2023, Berlin
Occupation: architect, academic
Education: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Avni Institute of Art and Design, Kraków University of Technology

Zvi Hecker was born in 1931 in Kraków

Zvi Hecker was born Tadeusz Hecker in Kraków, Poland, in 1931. He grew up in Poland and Samarkand. He began studying architecture at the Cracow University of Technology.

He immigrated to Israel in 1950 and studied architecture at the Technion, graduating in 1955. From 1955 to 1957 he studied painting at the Avni Institute. He then served in the IDF Combat Engineering Corps from 1957 to 1959.

After his service he set up a firm with Eldar Sharon and Alfred Neumann. Their works included the Bahad 1 officer school and the Bat Yam city hall. In 1966 he and Neumann sued the Technion over changes to the Danziger building, and the court rejected the suit.

His later works include the Ramot Polin neighborhood in Jerusalem, the Spiral Apartment House in Ramat Gan and the Heinz Galinski School in Berlin. He also designed the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv with Rafi Segal. He taught in Canada, the United States, Israel and Austria.

In 1990 he moved to Berlin, where he worked on projects for the Jewish community. He died at his Berlin home on 24 September 2023.