Ode to Delaunay

Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. Embracing a comprehensive and humane design philosophy, Safdie is committed to architecture that supports and enhances a project’s program; that is informed by the geographic, social, and cultural elements that define a place; and that responds to human needs and aspirations.

Over a celebrated 50-year career, Safdie has explored the essential principles of socially responsible design with a distinct visual language. His wide range of completed projects include cultural, educational, and civic institutions; neighborhoods and public parks; housing; mixed-use urban centers and airports; and master plans for existing communities and entirely new cities. Safdie’s projects can be found in North and South America, and throughout Asia.

A citizen of Israel, Canada and the United States, Safdie graduated from McGill University. In 1964 he established his own firm to realize Habitat ’67, an adaptation of his undergraduate thesis and a turning point in modern architecture. In 2019 he was awarded the Wolf Prize in Architecture for a career motivated by the social concerns of architecture and formal experimentation. Safdie was most recently recognized by The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal for the release of his memoir, If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture.