← Back to lessons
Moshe Safdie (b. 1938 in Haifa) is the most internationally famous Israeli architect, Habitat 67 in Montreal, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum 2005, Mamilla Mall, the Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas, and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Beside him, contemporary Israeli architecture includes Ada Karmi-Melamede, Bracha Chyutin, Ron Arad, Roy David, Bar Orian, and Pitsou Kedem. This lesson covers Safdie\'s major works in Israel, the wider contemporary scene, and the international diaspora of Israeli architects.
Cultural note, Safdie is Israel\'s only architectural household name internationally. He left for Montreal to design Habitat 67 at age 29 and never moved back permanently, but his Israeli works (Yad Vashem prism, Mamilla terraces, Sephardi Heritage Center on Mount Zion) shape the way millions of visitors experience the country. His autobiography "If Walls Could Speak" (2022) is a complete tour of the canon.
Moshe Safdie
Yad Vashem & Major Israeli Works
Contemporary Israeli Architects
International Israeli Diaspora
Vocabulary of Practice
The Yad Vashem Prism
A short reading: a visitor walks through Safdie\'s Yad Vashem 2005 prism, design intent, geometry, the descent, the exit, and what the architecture is telling you.