by Lili Eylon

Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie is well known for structures on the American continent, including his pioneering Habitat '67 in Montreal. This residential complex with distinctive stacking blocks has widely influenced thinking about urbanism and building systems.

Safdie has also continued to work in his native country. He spends one week a month at his practice in Jerusalem, where he has designed numerous public and private buildings of note.

One example is the Mamila Development Project, an urban mixed-use commercial center for Israel's capital. Located on the seam between the Old and New Jerusalem, it was conceived as "an area of interaction and coexistence" meant to bring people together.

Part of this project is David's Village, a multilevel residential center with 200 terraced apartments reminiscent of Habitat '67 but with old-world archways and domed roofs. The village links the old and new parts of the city with a network of parks, squares, housing, and a commercial center with a shopping and cinema complex.

Museum at Yad Vashem

One of Moshe Safdie's newest projects is a historical museum which triples the size of an existing museum at Yad Vashem, the site of the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Memorial. The project also adds a new entrance plaza and visitors center. They are scheduled for completion in late 2002.   >>>

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David's Village by Moshe Safdie, a multilevel residential center with 200 terraced apartments. Photo: Michal Ronnen Safdie David's Village, in Jerusalem, exhibits forms reminiscent of Habitat '67 but with old-world archways and domed roofs. Photo: Michal Ronnen Safdie   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.