February 05th, 2022

​Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie's bright and green designs are traveling the globe

More than 50 years after Habitat 67 was built, its principles are finding new life around the world

​By Alicia Cox Thomson from Maclean's

Quito Tower (Courtesy of Safdie Architects)

​Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie’s career philosophy—“For Everyone A Garden”—espouses his belief that green space, natural light and fresh air are basic human rights. Habitat, the modular housing complex he designed for Expo ’67 in Montreal, was the public debut of this concept. An urban community unlike anything seen in Canada, Habitat quickly cemented its place in Montreal’s landscape; a warren of cubes, glass and gardens set on the St. Lawrence River.
Safdie went on to become one of the most prolific and successful architects of the 20th century, bringing his perspective to residences, businesses and museums around the world.

Habitat 67 (Courtesy of Safdie Architects)

​The ideals of Habitat sparked a year-long study in 2010 that led to global expansion of the project. High-density housing complexes were planned for urban centres around the world—the third Habitat-inspired building is scheduled for completion this year. Each location presented environmental, cultural and even building code differences that impacted design and construction while still upholding Safdie’s ideal of For Everyone A Garden.
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“We need to integrate architecture with nature. That’s a long-term message,” Safdie said in a short film, Habitat in Nature, produced to explore the tenets of his philosophy and celebrate Phase 2 of a Habitat project in China. “It’s not a one-timer, it’s not a one-liner, and it won’t be achieved by one generation. And Habitat in a sense is a seed of a DNA that needs to evolve.”

Qinhuangdao (Courtesy of Safdie Architects)

Qinhuangdao (Courtesy of Safdie Architects)

Sculptures at the Cannes Underwater Eco-Museum in France (Courtesy of @jasondecairestaylor /www.underwatersculpture.com)

Why these artists are leaving ghostly sculptures at the bottom of the ocean

Artists are populating seabeds with sculptures that attract divers while also asking whether they should really be there

(Courtesy of @jasondecairestaylor /www.underwatersculpture.com)

(Courtesy of @jasondecairestaylor /www.underwatersculpture.com)