MOSHE SAFDIE

BUILDINGS

+ HABITAT 67

+ KAUFFMAN CENTER

GROUP 1-ENNY,NAVEED,GEETHIKA,BHARATHI
SEMESTER V SECTION A
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE V
MYSORE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
 AS AN ARCHITECT

+ MOSHE SAFDIE, (BORN JULY 14, 1938) IS AN

ISRAELI/CANADIAN/AMERICAN ARCHITECT, URBAN
DESIGNER, EDUCATOR, THEORIST, AND AUTHOR.

+ MOSHE SAFDIE'S WORKS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR

DRAMATIC CURVES, ARRAYS OF GEOMETRIC PATTERNS,
USE OF WINDOWS, AND KEY PLACEMENT OF OPEN AND
GREEN SPACES.

+ HIS WRITINGS AND DESIGNS STRESS THE NEED TO + HE IS A SELF-DESCRIBED

CREATE MEANINGFUL, VITAL, AND INCLUSIVE SPACES MODERNIST
THAT ENHANCE COMMUNITY, WITH SPECIAL
ATTENTION TO THE ESSENCE OF A PARTICULAR LOCALE,
GEOGRAPHY, AND CULTURE.
 HABITAT 67

HABITAT 67, OR SIMPLY HABITAT, IS A MODEL COMMUNITY AND HOUSING COMPLEX IN

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, DESIGNED BY ISRAELI/CANADIAN ARCHITECT MOSHE SAFDIE.

IT IS LOCATED AT 2600 AVENUE PIERRE-DUPUY ON THE MARC-DROUIN QUAY NEXT TO THE

SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER. HABITAT 67 IS WIDELY CONSIDERED AN ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK
AND ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE AND SPECTACULAR BUILDINGS IN BOTH MONTREAL
AND CANADA.
 ARCHITECTURE

HABITAT 67 COMPRISES 354 IDENTICAL, PREFABRICATED CONCRETE

FORMS ARRANGED IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS, REACHING UP TO
12 STORIES IN HEIGHT. TOGETHER THESE UNITS CREATE 146
RESIDENCES OF VARYING SIZES AND CONFIGURATIONS, EACH
FORMED FROM ONE TO EIGHT LINKED CONCRETE UNITS.

THE COMPLEX ORIGINALLY CONTAINED 158 APARTMENTS,BUT

SEVERAL APARTMENTS HAVE SINCE BEEN JOINED TO CREATE
LARGER UNITS, REDUCING THE TOTAL NUMBER.

EACH UNIT IS CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE PRIVATE TERRACE,

WHICH CAN RANGE FROM APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 90 SQUARE
METRES (225 TO 1,000 SQ FT) IN SIZE
ARCHITECTURE

THE DEVELOPMENT WAS DESIGNED TO

INTEGRATE THE BENEFITS OF SUBURBAN
HOMES—NAMELY GARDENS, FRESH AIR, PRIVACY,
AND MULTILEVELLED ENVIRONMENTS—WITH
THE ECONOMICS AND DENSITY OF A MODERN
URBAN APARTMENT BUILDING.

SAFDIE'S GOAL FOR THE PROJECT TO BE

AFFORDABLE HOUSING LARGELY FAILED:
DEMAND FOR THE BUILDING'S UNITS HAS MADE
THEM MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ORIGINALLY
ENVISIONED.
SITE PLAN
 DRAWINGS

SECTION

PLAN
MODULAR
CONSTRUCTION
MODELS
SKETCHES
 KAUFFMAN CENTER

THE KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING

ARTS IS A PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN DOWNTOWN
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, USA. ITS CONSTRUCTION WAS A
MAJOR PART OF THE ONGOING REDEVELOPMENT OF
DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY.

THE CENTER WAS CREATED AS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION. UNLIKE SOME OTHER MAJOR CIVIC
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, NO TAXPAYER FUNDS WENT
INTO ITS CONSTRUCTION.

THE CITY OF KANSAS CITY CONTRIBUTED TO AND

OPERATES A PARKING GARAGE ADJACENT TO THE
KAUFFMAN CENTER.
 DESIGN

• THE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND EXACTING STANDARDS REQUIRED OF A FACILITY

LIKE THE KAUFFMAN CENTER MADE IT ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX STRUCTURES IN THE
WORLD TO DESIGN AND BUILD.
• THE BUILDING, WHICH TOOK NEARLY FIVE YEARS TO COMPLETE, CONTAINS 40,000 SQUARE
FEET OF GLASS, 25,000 CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE, AND 27 STEEL CABLES. THE MAIN
LOBBY, BRANDMEYER GREAT HALL, IS BUILT OF A GLASS CEILING AND SLOPING GLASS
WALLS THAT PROVIDE A PANORAMIC VIEW OF KANSAS CITY TO THE SOUTH.
• THE TWENTY-SEVEN STEEL CABLES ON THE SOUTH FAÇADE ARE ANCHORED IN EMBEDS
THAT WEIGH APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF TONS, AND THE EMBEDS ARE AN
EXTENSION OF THE FOUNDATION AND BEDROCK BENEATH THE BUILDING. WHEN THE
STEEL CABLES WERE PULLED TAUT DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS,THE ENTIRE
STEEL STRUCTURE SHIFTED TWO TO SIX INCHES TO THE SOUTH.
DESIGN

• This tensioning provides stability to the

structure and keeps the glass lobby securely in
place. The Kauffman Center covers 13 acres
(53,000 m2), including landscaped grounds over
the 1,000-space, city-owned Arts District
Garage.
• The cost of the project was approximately $413
million, which includes both a $40 million
operating endowment and the city’s $47 million
construction of the parking garage.
ARCHITECTURE

• The center’s exterior consists of two symmetrical half shells of

vertical, concentric arches that open toward the south. Each
shell houses one acoustically independent performance venue,
although the backstage area is shared.
• The south façade of the Center is made entirely of glass. Safdie
describes the lobby as “an expansive glazed porch contained
by a glass tent-like structure".
• For those inside Brandmeyer Great Hall, the glass puts Kansas
City on display; for those on the outside, the Kauffman Center
becomes like a terrarium, revealing the thousands of attendees
backlit against the white interior
DRAWINGS

SITE PLAN
PLAN
SECTIONS
INTERIOR
VIEWS

AERIAL VIEW

PERSPECTIVE VIEW