Moshe Safdie

Architect

Birthday July 14, 1938

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace Haifa, Israel

Age 85 years old

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About

Israeli-Canadian architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author who designed Habitat 67, a model housing complex and landmark in Montreal.

Before Fame

He graduated from McGill University in 1961, after which he became an apprentice to Louis Kahn. He relocated to Jerusalem following the completion of Habitat 67, where he opened a branch office in 1970 and worked on such projects as Yad Vashem and Mamilla Mall.

Trivia

He was known for his heavily geometric style that was focused on dramatic curves and angles and for his strategic arrangement of open and green spaces.

Family Life

His family was residing in Haifa when he was born, but they relocated to Montreal in 1953. He married his first wife, Nina Nusynowicz, in 1959, with whom he fathered a daughter and a son. He later remarried to photographer Michal Ronnen in 1981 by whom he also fathered two daughters. His nephew, Dov Charney, was the founder and CEO of American Apparel.

Associated With

He continued the Modernist tradition pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright.