11. Eling Residences, Chongqing, China, 2017 | Moshe Safdie
Located on a broad hillside site adjacent to Chongqing’s well-known Eling Park, the design for the Eling Residences grows out of and echoes the dramatic natural topography of the site. The buildings are organized with terracing villa units climbing the rock slopes and stepping up to the crest of the hill where, along the ridgeline, two dome-shaped structures overlook the city. The location and organization of the low-rise terraced buildings endows each of the 126 apartments with natural daylight and affords uninterrupted views of the Yuzhong Peninsula and the Yangtze River. Interwoven with the buildings is a lush landscape comprised of cascading gardens, terraces, overlooks, stairs, and promenades for the residents to enjoy.
12. Hangzhou International Center, Hangzhou, China, 2016
Hangzhou is known around the world for its lakes and gardens, replete with beautiful pavilions, lush tea terraces, and a pastoral lake. The Hangzhou International Center aspires to project the urban garden of tomorrow, combining the image of hanging gardens with modern sustainable technologies to evolve a new typology for dense development.
The unique and humane massing of the complex is a result of two key strategies: the distinction of each programmatic element to provide a sense of identity and character derived from the life within; and the use of supporting decks and bridges to provide communal landscape spaces for those who live and work in the complex.
13. Sky Habitat, Toronto, Canada, 2016
Encompassing two city blocks in downtown, Sky Habitat Toronto combines approximately 2,370 apartments, a 44-story office tower, and a five-floor retail galleria in a manner that creates a humane and considered vertical expansion of the city.
The stacking towers house a wide array of private and public gardens, solariums, and pools, which aim to enhance the quality of life for the residents and offer a unique and unparalleled environment, particularly at the proposed densities.
14. Sky Habitat, Republic of Singapore, 2016 | Moshe Safdie
Sky Habitat is a three-dimensional matrix of homes with terraces, balconies, and communal gardens, bringing landscape, light, and air into every level of the building. The building’s stepped form is akin to a hillside town. The units feature multiple orientations relative to the sun, natural ventilation, and generous views.
Three bridging sky gardens link the two-stepping towers and create a series of interconnected streets, gardens, and terraces in the air, which provide a variety of spaces for common recreation and congregation
15. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2011
The design for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art grows out of a consideration for its extraordinarily beautiful, pastoral site, situating a collection of delicate pavilions nestled into the sloping terrain of a forested site. The pavilions span a ravine and two ponds forming a backdrop to community and educational spaces. The complex positions art and nature side by side, and includes a network of gardens, courtyards, and hiking trails.
the complex holds exhibit spaces and a curatorial complex of the highest standard in addition to a library, and multiple communal and educational spaces.
16. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 1988
Sited on a prominent rocky outcropping overlooking the Ottawa River and opposite Canada’s Parliament, The National Gallery of Canada was conceived as a civic destination marking the country’s prestigious collection of national art and treasures. The impressive museum collection is organized by a network of glazed ceremonial and processional spaces expressing activity to the exterior, and linking a series of large scale, day-lit exhibition halls. The exhibition spaces are complemented by interior garden atria and a Great Hall
The large areas of collections and exhibition spaces are organized into legible groups of galleries, each with an individual character appropriate to its relationship to the collection.
17. United States Institute of Peace Headquarters, Washington, DC, 2011 | Moshe Safdie
The United States Institute of Peace Headquarters combines public-facing education and conference facilities with private research spaces and offices where scholars can pursue issues of peace and conflict resolution. The design of the building positions three discrete office blocks organized around two shared atria, fanning out from a corner entrance–with one atrium facing the Potomac River and the other facing the Lincoln Memorial. The Institute has become a national symbol of peace on the Capitol’s skyline, expressing lightness, transparency and openness
18. Palm Jumeirah Gateway Mosque, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2008
The hovering geometric design for the Gateway Mosque marks the entry to the Palm Jumeirah archipelago development in Dubai, on a triangular site bounded by two existing highway bridges. The geometry is formed by a great ellipsoid cutting against the lower portion of a sphere, creating a catenary roof form that covers the prayer hall. The intersection of geometry positions the axis to Mecca at the full height of the sphere, resulting in the profile of a crescent moon. Suspended above the catenary roof structure is a spherical dome that encloses the center of the building.
19. Pearson’s Int. Airport – T1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007
To foster a sense of inherent orientation and seamless passage through the various functions, the design features transparency and natural light, so that the passengers can ‘follow the light’ as they move through the terminal. In its expression, the terminal reflects the optimistic and technologically advanced culture of the city through the use of long-span, exposed steel structure, abundant daylight, and bright, clean finishes.
20. United States Courthouse, Springfield, Massachusetts, 2008
Light is used as a way of expressing the transparency of the judicial process and the celebration of its importance and dignity in our civic society. The brief for the courthouse includes offices for non-court agencies (US Attorneys, US Marshals and US Congressperson for the local district) as well as four major courtrooms in the main building, and chambers for District judges in a three-story annex.
21. Ottawa City Hall, Ottawa, Canada, 1994 | Moshe Safdie
Ottawa City Hall is located on Green Island in the Rideau River, perpendicular to the ceremonial route linking Parliament Hill and the residence of the governor-general. The competition-winning design integrates the existing City Hall, a landmark of Canadian modernism while tripling its area.
