Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie, CC, FAIAis an Israeli/Canadian/American architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author. He is most identified with Habitat 67, which paved the way for his international career...
NationalityIsraeli
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth14 July 1938
CountryIsrael
architecture arrogance considers fall fellow himself joy nature pit seeks servant shall truth universe
He who seeks truth, shall find beauty. He who seeks beauty, shall find vanity. He who seeks order, shall find gratification.He who seeks gratification, shall find disappointment. He who considers himself a servant of his fellow beings,shall find joy of self expression. He who seeks self expression, shall fall to the pit of arrogance. Arrogance is incompatible with nature. Through nature, the nature of the universe and the nature of man,we shall seek truth. If we seek truth we shall find beauty.
achieved certain concentration creates francisco los openness possible prefer san society york
I prefer San Francisco to Los Angeles. I prefer New York to Philadelphia. Why? The kind of concentration that is achieved in them creates certain choices, an openness of society that is not possible in the lower-density environments.
bringing combining daylight dollars greatly improve millions project save street
Bringing it to street level, combining it with a park, you bring daylight into it. It's airy. So we save tens of millions of dollars and greatly improve the project experience.
attempt diplomat expansive inherited life lower mediator mission narrative portion represents site structure symbolic weave
We inherited a site with a large, bunker-like structure and made every attempt to weave it into the narrative of the project. The lower portion of the building, with its militaristic past, represents the first portion of Rabin's life as a warrior. The upper portion of the building, with its mission of education, its expansive views, and symbolic dove's wings, represents the diplomat and mediator that he became.
adapting blend future root trying
I want my buildings to take root and look as if they've always been there. It isn't about pastiche or adapting what's already there. It's about trying to blend the future and the past.
cities contribute enormous oppressive vast
We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to contribute by making it more light and open and calm.
affect express society stay
A painter, a sculptor, a writer, they can express freely. They don't affect society as a whole. We build buildings that have a purpose, that stay there for hundreds of years or decades.
except gulf hard israeli negatively persian projects
Except for the projects in Israel, my being Israeli has contributed negatively to my global activity. It is hard for me, for example, to get projects in the Persian Gulf emirates.
architect knows
Who knows, maybe I am simply a talented architect?
architecture urban worthy
We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation
architecture faster profession
Architecture is changing faster than some other professions.