Moshe Safdie's proposal was among 208 entries for the architectural competition for the Canadian Government Pavilion at the 1970 Japan World Exposition in Osaka. Safdie explored two radically different concepts. The first used a group of balloon-like elements inflated with a light gas. The second scheme, which was developed in greater detail, called for a cellular building made from modular units constructed of cubes subtended by octahedrons. The entire pavilion was to be a continuous experience of changing images and colours in which various surfaces within the cube and the octahedron were used as projection surfaces.
The vision for the project was to create a distinctive, architecturally exceptional museum that will help to eliminate intolerance through recognition of human rights as the foundation for human equality, dignity, and freedom worldwide. The museum has made groundbreaking history, as it will be the largest and perhaps only human rights museum in the world. The issue of human rights is of such a worldwide concern that the decision was made to conduct an international architectural competition to select an architect and design for this important project. Ultimately, the competition was won by Dan Hanganu Architects and The Arcop Group.
Located on a triangular parcel, Cambridge Center was designed as a mixed-use development project in a area known as Kendall Square. Safdie's master plan called for several mid- and high-rise office and research buildings, a 25-storey hotel, and a street-level retail centre. The hotel encloses Cambridge Plaza and is the primary public focal point of the complex. The plaza paving and features were designed by world-renowned artist Karl Schlamminger of Germany.
Alston and Elivor Callahan owned a piece of property atop Red Mountain overlooking Birmingham, Alabama. The Callahans requested a house that would give them the sense of living in a control tower, similar to the one at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, to overlook the city. Safdie's proposal comprised of a series of intersected cubes rotated at 45 degrees with the horizontal. The unique geometry with an elongated rectangular plan suited this unusual site. The design approach resulted in an extroverted yet transparent building that commands its surroundings.
The Caesarea World Monument involved building a World Study Center with the development of a master plan to restore and reconstruct the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima on the Sea. The entire project was divided into six phases, and Safdie's involvement was limited to the first two phases: the restoration of the Cardo Maximus, a 0.4 km pedestrian walkway extending from the amphitheatre to the moat of the Crusader Fortress; and the construction of the World Study Center Building, providing facilities for archaeological research and study, as well as for preservation and display of excavated material.
Caesarea Heights was an urban planning proposal for a site in Caesarea, a city positioned between Tel Aviv and Haifa. The proposed development consisted of 1,700 housing units overlooking the Caesarea Golf Course and the sea, including a variety of housing types constructed at different densities, designed to accommodate a broad range of family sizes and needs.
Clusters and individual units were designed to be particularly sensitive to orientation, and attempted to maximize views for all residents. Green spaces were integrated to separate major roads from residences, and to also provide a degree of privacy between clusters of housing. In general, the concept of "small communities" or clusters was emphasized, which is in keeping with the character of the Israeli lifestyle.
Located along the Hudson River not far from the former World Trade Center, the project was envisioned to solve the city's housing shortage. The master plan accommodated affordable housing for approximately 400,000 people. Safdie's proposal included 14,100 apartments, several schools, a library, a hospital, and other amenities covering 91 36.4 ha. The prefabricated modular construction system was also explored for this project.
Moshe Safdie conceived the Beit Clal Conference Center as a building bridging the water. The site for the project was located in a naturally wooded area with a pond, formed from an existing stream in Pomona, New York. The overall complex was an "L-shape" with the north-south spine contoured along the pond's edge and the east-west spine spanning the pond as a bridge structure. The center was designed to serve as a "think-tank" - a meeting place for the exchange of knowledge in training and leadership for the Jewish community.
The collection consists of Edith Smellie's diary, a photograph, and notebook "Visiting List." The first section of her diary recounts a trip from Brockville, Ontario, to New York from October 2-10, 1888. She and her companions left Brockville by steamboat and transferred to rail at Morristown. The diary details visiting Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as Macy's and other stores. The final pages of the diary contain calculations and a short list of purchases, including boots, shoes, paints, and collars. A few pages in the diary begin to recount a second trip in 1889, as well as some poems. In addition to the diary is a sepia cabinet portrait by Sheldon & Davis, Kingston. The visiting list contains numbered entries of visitors for 1897, 1898, and 1899. There are also some addresses.
