Background
Klarwein was born in Warsaw, Poland. His father Menachem Klarwein was a Hebrew teacher and a Zionist.
Klarwein was born in Warsaw, Poland. His father Menachem Klarwein was a Hebrew teacher and a Zionist.
Klarwein studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich from 1917-1919, but he was not awarded a university degree.
Between 1921 and 1933 he was employed with Johann Friedrich Höger, and became chief design architect. Klarwein was an important representative of Northern German Brick Expressionism and of modern architecture in Israel. Germany
As Jews, the family immigrated to Germany because of the growing anti-Semitism in Poland and Russia after the failed revolution of 1905 in the Russian Empire.
In 1920, he studied with Hans Poelzig in the master"s studio for architecture of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin.
In 1921, Klarwein joined the architectural firm of Fritz Hoger in Hamburg. Hoger"s office grew considerably in these years with increasing work orders, requiring additional personnel.
Klarwein"s designs were at the time published under Hoger"s name. Hoger said that Klarwein was "one of the very best" employees.
Palestine / Israel
Klarwein changed his first name from the Slavic name variant Ossip to the Hebrew form Yosseph.
In Haifa, Klarwein became an independent architect. He designed with Richard Kauffmann and Heinz Rau, the campus of the Hebrew University.