Moshe Safdie wins 2019 Wolf Prize in Architecture

Moshe Safdie was named the 2019 recipient of the Wolf Prize in architecture, which is awarded every three years. Since 1978, the Wolf Foundation has awarded five or six prizes annually in the scientific fields of agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and physics. The Arts prize rotates annually among the fields of architecture, music, painting, and sculpture.

Past architecture laureates of the prestigious achievement award include Eduardo Souto de Moura, David Chipperfield, Peter Eisenman, and Phyllis Lambert.

The Wolf Prize architecture jury praised Safdie for the originality and artistry of his body of work, his work as an educator, and his numerous publications. “[Safdie Architects'] projects seek experimentation and can be understood as an evolving form of research...The outreach of the practice is truly international,” the jury wrote in their citation.

From his infamous Habitat '67 that launched his illustrious career, to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem, among others, “all of these projects address complex public programs and explore an architecture of exceptional originality and formal experimentation,” the jury continued.

Safdie will receive the prize from the President of the State of Israel during a special ceremony at the Knesset Building in Jerusalem later this year.