The prolific body of work produced over the last half century by Moshe Safdie and his firm is somewhat anomalous in the pantheon of high-profile living architects. It is unique in both formal and philosophical terms, nostalgically guided by the ethical precepts of bygone modernist theory while working in architectural languages significantly evolved from midcentury standards. In the course of a comprehensive review of his projects, it is perhaps the very lack of an isomorphic personal signature that makes his celebrity so unique. The Safdie “look” is chameleonic, deliberately adapting to culture and context without suffering from the burden of personal branding, unified by theory and a geometric playfulness that transcends architectural language and affect.
“Safdie,” a recent eponymous monograph released by Images Publishing, is the most comprehensive collection of the architect’s work yet published. It documents his explorations into modularity and typology that first established his international reputation alongside later ventures in civic architecture and urban planning. Mature incorporations of postmodern historicism are juxtaposed with explorations into critical regionalism and structure-based forms, an impressive display of versatility unusual in contemporary practice. Colorful texts, both by the architect and by others, contextualize his work within a rigorous theoretical and historical framework. It is a monograph both for the layperson and for the architect, a beautifully curated celebration of Safdie’s career and a provocative inquiry into the responsibility of the professional.
