Book: Moshe Safdie II

The front cover of Moshe Safdie II, the architect's new tome
The front cover of Moshe Safdie II, the architect's new tome
(Image credit: TBC)

Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie is probably best known for his iconic debut project, the Habitat '67 housing complex in Montreal, designed for the city’s Expo '67.

Since its completion in 1967, Safdie - now sharing his time between Canada and the US - has been working on a variety of projects around the world and has established offices in Massachusetts, Jerusalem, Toronto and Singapore.

Moshe Safdie II, the architect’s recently released second monograph, provides an essential insight into the past half a century of work from the practice.

Featuring projects ranging from the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem (2006) to the Salt Lake City Main Public Library (2003) and ongoing commissions including the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville (2011) - as well as essays by the architect himself and established architecture academics William J. Mitchell and Thomas Fischer - the book provides a comprehensive cross-section of Safdie's work from the past fifty years.

Currently up to their eyes working on a number of ongoing projects - spanning everything from cultural to civic developments - the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex in Punjab and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore are the two to look out for from the practice next year, with both scheduled to open next spring.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Due to open early next year. Photo courtesy of John Horner

(Image credit: John Horner)

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Completed in 2006.

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Completed in 2006. Photo courtesy of Timothy Hursley

(Image credit: Timothy Hursley)

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Due to open in 2011. Photo courtesy of John Horner

(Image credit: John Horner)

Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex, Anadpur Sahib, Punjab, India.

Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex, Anadpur Sahib, Punjab, India. Completed in 2009. Photo courtesy of Ram Rahman

(Image credit: Ram Rahman)

Salt Lake City Main Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake City Main Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Completed in 2003. Photo courtesy of Timothy Hursley

(Image credit: Timothy Hursley)

Jepson Center for the Arts at the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.

Jepson Center for the Arts at the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia. Completed in 2006. Photo courtesy of Timothy Hursley

(Image credit: Timothy Hursley)

Habitat ’67, designed as part of the Expo '67, Montreal.

Habitat ’67, designed as part of the Expo ’67, Montreal. Photo courtesy of Timothy Hursley

(Image credit: John Horner)

The front cover of Moshe Safdie's original book.

The front cover of Moshe Safdie’s original book. Released ten years ago

(Image credit: TBC)

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).