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Topic spans: 1967 - 2003
Moshe Safdie: Hero of Habitat
Moshe Safdie achieved worldwide fame when his sensational Habitat pavilion was the showcase of Expo 67. The visionary architect went on to design some of the country's best-known buildings, including the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver's Library Square and the massive rebuild of Toronto's Pearson Airport. Millions of Canadians experience the power of his architecture daily. CBC looks at Safdie's career.
11 television clips
5 radio clips
Vancouver Library Square
Broadcast Date: May 25, 1995
Moshe Safdie's new Vancouver Public Library bears a striking resemblance to the Roman Coliseum and some critics are complaining that it looks too unusual. In addition to a library that works well for the users, Safdie wanted to create a meeting place in the city and a centrepiece for an emerging cultural sector in downtown Vancouver. CBC takes a look at the new library shortly before it opens.Vancouver Library Square
• The Coliseum-like building joins a number of other "theme" buildings in Vancouver. The Convention Centre looks like a ship with five sails and the city's museum resembles a native Haida hat. The Science Centre has been compared to a giant golf ball.• Safdie also designed the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts, located across the street from the new library.
• Safdie does not believe in following trends or the idea of architecture as fashion. As a result, many of his buildings are popular with the public but not that well received by the critics. One critic described the Vancouver library as "a decent building dressed up in drag."
• Eleanor Wachtel of CBC's The Arts Tonight discussed the new building with architecture critic Adele Freedman and architectural historian Andrew Gruft.
Vancouver Library Square
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Evening News
Broadcast Date: May 25, 1995
Guest(s): Shelagh Flaherty, Moshe Safdie
Reporter: Peter Grainger
Duration: 2:14
Last updated:
June 29, 2009
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16 clips in this topic . page
Topic
Expo 67 was the most spectacular of Canada's 100th anniversary celebrations. When the Montreal Universal and International Exposition of 1967 opened on April 27, it was a gleaming futuristic spectacle and a...
Topic
Cosmopolitan, outrageous and sexy. Pop, protest and pills. The counterculture and the global village. Canada changed in the 1960s. An explosion in the arts - and cool, confident Canadian design. Grand...
Vancouver Library Square.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: June 29, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 16, 2012.]