Moshe Safdie quotes

Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian architect, famous for his innovative approach to urban design and architecture. His most iconic work includes Habitat 67 in Montreal, which redefined residential living. He continues to influence contemporary architecture with his visionary projects around the world. Here are 16 of his quotes:

Architecture is not about building the impossible, which we can do if we have enough money and enough tools and enough computers, it is about building what is appropriate and about attaining beauty through such an approach. I describe this premise as "inherent buildability and I believe it is central to what I do. (Moshe Safdie)
He who seeks truth shall find beauty. He who seeks beauty shall find vanity. He who seeks order shall find gratification. He who seeks gratification shall be disappointed. He who considers himself the servant of his fellow beings shall find the joy of self-expression. He who seeks self-expression shall fall into the pit of arrogance. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Architecture has joined the world of fashion, but fashion is passing and architecture is timeless. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Beauty connotes humanity. We call a natural object beautiful because we see that its form expresses fitness, the perfect fulfillment of function. View quote
Moshe Safdie
When I got my first commission after Habitat, for a few weeks I couldn't draw. View quote
Moshe Safdie
My identity is always at the forefront, and I also think that every article that is written about me refers to me as an Israeli architect. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Countries and places have a history, a story, and a culture. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Architecture should be rooted in the past, and yet be part of our own time and forward looking. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Performing arts buildings are complex. The acoustics, the sight lines and all that have to just be perfect. So you begin with just making these things sublime as musical instruments. And if you fail there, you have failed it all. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Architecture is changing faster than some other professions. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Who knows, maybe I am simply a talented architect? (Moshe Safdie)
There is a profound ethic to architecture which is different from the other arts. View quote
Moshe Safdie
Urban design as a discipline barely exists in most American and Canadian cities. In Singapore, there are innovative transportation strategies at work. View quote
Moshe Safdie
I think you need to, as an architect, understand the essence of a place and create a building that feels like it resonates with the culture of a place. So my buildings in India or in Kansas City or in Arkansas or in Singapore, they come out different because the places are so different. View quote
Moshe Safdie
I'm completely taken and impressed by the planning authority of Singapore and its Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It's the most cutting-edge agency in the world. They have very effective guidelines for development, and they review design as it evolves. View quote
Moshe Safdie
I think the general public's response to my projects is very strong. You can be an intellectual and say that popularity detracts from architectural quality. On the other hand, you can see in the public's identification something very positive. View quote
Moshe Safdie