[USA] Moshe Safdie

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

Moshe Safdie

Moshe Safdie, CC , B.Arch , LL.D. , F.R.A.I.C. (born July 14, 1938) is a famous architect and urban designer. He was born in the town of Haifa in the British Mandate of Palestine. His family left for Montreal, Canada when he was a teenager. As a dedicated socialist and Zionist he disliked this move.

An excellent student he studied architectural engineering at McGill University and apprenticed under Louis Kahn in Philadelphia. At age twenty-four his master's thesis was selected to be constructed as part of the Expo '67 celebration. The Habitat 67 project, a complex of cellular residences that could be lifted into place like LEGO blocks, made him known around the world. In 1967 he returned to Israel where he was part of the team that refurbished Old Jerusalem. He lives in a renovated home in the old city. He has dual Israeli-Canadian citizenship.

In 1976 he became a professor at Harvard University and set up his firm's head office in nearby Somerville, Massachusetts, where it remains today. The company also has offices in Toronto and Jerusalem. In 1986 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2005.

Important works include:

Habitat 67 at Expo '67 World's Fair, Montreal, Quebec
Coldspring New Town, Baltimore, Maryland
The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Former Ottawa City Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Vancouver Library Square, Vancouver, British Columbia
Main Branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

Habitat '67 is a striking housing complex located on the Quai Marc-Drouin on the Saint Lawrence River at Montreal. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie based on his masters thesis at McGill University.

Habitat 67 in Montreal winterIt was designed to integrate the variety and diversity of scattered private homes with the economics and density of a modern apartment building. Modular, interlocking concrete forms define the space. The complex was built as part of Expo '67. The project was designed to create affordable housing with close but private quarters, each equipped with a garden. The complex was originally meant to be vastly larger. It also failed in its goal of being affordable as the building is today quite elite. It is now a privately owned condo complex since it was purchased by its tenants in 1985.

Safdie hoped that his vision of interlocking modules would become widespread. However Safdie's attempts to build similar structures elsewhere in the world all failed to be funded.

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada's premier art galleries. It is located in the capital city, Ottawa, Ontario.

The Gallery is housed in a purpose built glass and granite building on Sussex Drive next to the old Canadian War Museum building. The acclaimed structure was designed by Moshe Safdie and opened in 1988.

The Gallery has a large and varied collection. Its focus is on Canadian art, but it holds works by many noted artists. It has a strong contemporary art collection with some of Andy Warhol's most famous works. In 1990 the Gallery bought Barnett Newman's Voice of Fire for $1.8 million, causing a storm of controversy as the painting was no more than three strips of paint. Since that time its value has appreciated sharply, however.

The Canadian collection holds works by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven as well as Emily Carr and Alex Colville.

The Gallery is also often home to travelling shows from around the world. It also organizes its own exhibits which travel across Canada and often beyond.

The Gallery's collection has been built up through acquisitions, especially of Canadian art. Much of the collection was donated, most notable are Lord Beaverbrook's substantial donation and that of the Southam family.

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

The building today commonly referred to as the Old City Hall was the building that served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000. Today it is officially known as 111 Sussex Drive and is owned by the federal government.

The building is located on Green Island at the point where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa. The historic city hall on Elgin Street had been destroyed by a fire in 1931. For the next 27 years the city operated out of temporary offices in the Transportation Building. The International Style building was opened on August 2, 1958 by Princess Margaret. It is noted for the first building in Ottawa to be fully air conditioned. It was designed by John Bland and is considered one of the most important International Style buildings in Canada.

In 1988 Ottawa mayor Jim Durrell initiated a controversial scheme to expand the building, quadrupling its original size. Architect Moshe Safdie was chosen to do the redesign. Conflict soon broke out between Safdie and the city. Safdie demanded a higher fee and delayed the project for several months before the city acquiesced to his demand. Then a conflict broke out over a pair of eighteen story observation towers. City council voted to cut the towers to save the million dollars they cost. This infuriated Safdie who felt the towers were essential to the design. The panel that picked the design had singled out the tower as one of the highlights of the design. Eventually the city compromised and a bare scaffold was erected.

The new building caused considerable controversy in the city with some liking the design, but others seeing the $72 million dollar structure an ugly waste of money. The building was much larger than the city needed and for several years large sections were vacant. In 1999 offices were rented out to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is based just down the street and this mostly filled the building.

On January 1, 2001 Ottawa was merged with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton. It was decided that the new city would be based at the RMOC Building. This building was considerably smaller but far more central. In 2003 the city sold the old city hall to the Federal Public Works department. Today the building mainly houses foreign affairs employees. For several months it was also the site of the Gomery Inquiry hearings.

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

The Library Square Building in Vancouver, British Columbia is the home to the Vancouver Public Library. It is modelled on a Roman Colosseum. This is an iconic building in Vancouver and is commonly shown on postcards. The building consists of both the main library portion and the office tower portion.

jparchitectus · 03-08-2005

The Salt Lake City Public Library is a system of free public libraries in Salt Lake City, Utah. There are six locations: the main library downtown, the Anderson-Foothill branch, the Chapman branch in Glendale, the Day-Riverside branch in Rose Park, the Sprague branch in Sugar House, and the Corrine & Jack Sweet branch in the Avenues.

MICHEL · 03-08-2005

This is what I call a sexy section!

03-08-2005	#1
jparchitectus PushPullBar Permanent Fixture Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New York Posts: 5,250 Country:	[USA] Moshe Safdie Moshe Safdie Moshe Safdie, CC , B.Arch , LL.D. , F.R.A.I.C. (born July 14, 1938) is a famous architect and urban designer. He was born in the town of Haifa in the British Mandate of Palestine. His family left for Montreal, Canada when he was a teenager. As a dedicated socialist and Zionist he disliked this move. An excellent student he studied architectural engineering at McGill University and apprenticed under Louis Kahn in Philadelphia. At age twenty-four his master's thesis was selected to be constructed as part of the Expo '67 celebration. The Habitat 67 project, a complex of cellular residences that could be lifted into place like LEGO blocks, made him known around the world. In 1967 he returned to Israel where he was part of the team that refurbished Old Jerusalem. He lives in a renovated home in the old city. He has dual Israeli-Canadian citizenship. In 1976 he became a professor at Harvard University and set up his firm's head office in nearby Somerville, Massachusetts, where it remains today. The company also has offices in Toronto and Jerusalem. In 1986 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2005. Important works include: Habitat 67 at Expo '67 World's Fair, Montreal, Quebec Coldspring New Town, Baltimore, Maryland The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario Former Ottawa City Hall, Ottawa, Ontario Vancouver Library Square, Vancouver, British Columbia Main Branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah __________________ need info on an architect - click here or like firefighting

03-08-2005	#2
jparchitectus PushPullBar Permanent Fixture Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New York Posts: 5,250 Country:	Habitat '67 is a striking housing complex located on the Quai Marc-Drouin on the Saint Lawrence River at Montreal. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie based on his masters thesis at McGill University. Habitat 67 in Montreal winterIt was designed to integrate the variety and diversity of scattered private homes with the economics and density of a modern apartment building. Modular, interlocking concrete forms define the space. The complex was built as part of Expo '67. The project was designed to create affordable housing with close but private quarters, each equipped with a garden. The complex was originally meant to be vastly larger. It also failed in its goal of being affordable as the building is today quite elite. It is now a privately owned condo complex since it was purchased by its tenants in 1985. Safdie hoped that his vision of interlocking modules would become widespread. However Safdie's attempts to build similar structures elsewhere in the world all failed to be funded. Attached Images __________________ need info on an architect - click here or like firefighting

03-08-2005	#3
jparchitectus PushPullBar Permanent Fixture Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New York Posts: 5,250 Country:	The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada's premier art galleries. It is located in the capital city, Ottawa, Ontario. The Gallery is housed in a purpose built glass and granite building on Sussex Drive next to the old Canadian War Museum building. The acclaimed structure was designed by Moshe Safdie and opened in 1988. The Gallery has a large and varied collection. Its focus is on Canadian art, but it holds works by many noted artists. It has a strong contemporary art collection with some of Andy Warhol's most famous works. In 1990 the Gallery bought Barnett Newman's Voice of Fire for $1.8 million, causing a storm of controversy as the painting was no more than three strips of paint. Since that time its value has appreciated sharply, however. The Canadian collection holds works by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven as well as Emily Carr and Alex Colville. The Gallery is also often home to travelling shows from around the world. It also organizes its own exhibits which travel across Canada and often beyond. The Gallery's collection has been built up through acquisitions, especially of Canadian art. Much of the collection was donated, most notable are Lord Beaverbrook's substantial donation and that of the Southam family. Attached Images __________________ need info on an architect - click here or like firefighting

03-08-2005	#4
jparchitectus PushPullBar Permanent Fixture Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New York Posts: 5,250 Country:	The building today commonly referred to as the Old City Hall was the building that served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000. Today it is officially known as 111 Sussex Drive and is owned by the federal government. The building is located on Green Island at the point where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa. The historic city hall on Elgin Street had been destroyed by a fire in 1931. For the next 27 years the city operated out of temporary offices in the Transportation Building. The International Style building was opened on August 2, 1958 by Princess Margaret. It is noted for the first building in Ottawa to be fully air conditioned. It was designed by John Bland and is considered one of the most important International Style buildings in Canada. In 1988 Ottawa mayor Jim Durrell initiated a controversial scheme to expand the building, quadrupling its original size. Architect Moshe Safdie was chosen to do the redesign. Conflict soon broke out between Safdie and the city. Safdie demanded a higher fee and delayed the project for several months before the city acquiesced to his demand. Then a conflict broke out over a pair of eighteen story observation towers. City council voted to cut the towers to save the million dollars they cost. This infuriated Safdie who felt the towers were essential to the design. The panel that picked the design had singled out the tower as one of the highlights of the design. Eventually the city compromised and a bare scaffold was erected. The new building caused considerable controversy in the city with some liking the design, but others seeing the $72 million dollar structure an ugly waste of money. The building was much larger than the city needed and for several years large sections were vacant. In 1999 offices were rented out to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is based just down the street and this mostly filled the building. On January 1, 2001 Ottawa was merged with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton. It was decided that the new city would be based at the RMOC Building. This building was considerably smaller but far more central. In 2003 the city sold the old city hall to the Federal Public Works department. Today the building mainly houses foreign affairs employees. For several months it was also the site of the Gomery Inquiry hearings. Attached Images __________________ need info on an architect - click here or like firefighting

03-08-2005	#5
jparchitectus PushPullBar Permanent Fixture Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New York Posts: 5,250 Country:	The Library Square Building in Vancouver, British Columbia is the home to the Vancouver Public Library. It is modelled on a Roman Colosseum. This is an iconic building in Vancouver and is commonly shown on postcards. The building consists of both the main library portion and the office tower portion. Attached Images __________________ need info on an architect - click here or like firefighting

03-08-2005	#7
MICHEL Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: brussels Posts: 2,210 Country:	This is what I call a sexy section! Attached Images __________________ me myself and I...

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