Talk by Moshe Safdie

I took half-day today to attend a talk by Moshe Safdie, the world renowned architect who designed many famous buildings like the Salt Lake City Public Library, National Gallery of Canada and now, our Marina Bay Sands.
All I can say is, it was well worth the going.

It was amazing as he talked about his designs and one can truly see a real architect. He was so down-to-earth and you can see the essence of architecture through him; you can see his heart and the meaning behind it all. Each of his designs had such depth in them, and he always relates to the place where the design is (contextual), such that there is a blending and his creativity is immense to bring the place, the meaning, the essence of the intended architecture together. The most touching design in the presentation was Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, which was so meaningful and significant. It's a tunnel-like structure through a mountain in memory of the victims of the horrifying Holocaust. I nearly cried when he showed how when one reaches this point after walking through the whole museum (there was a sequence "set" by the design) and ending with the Hall of Names, and you look out from the end of the tunnel into the beautiful light of the landscape. He said something in the lines of 'there is hope and light at the end'. It was beyond words. The Hall of Names is another phenomena, with it reaching to the water table. I must go visit that place some day.

He's really an architect with a heart and throughout, I could only "wow" as he presented his creations and the concept behind them, and was rendered speechless. The vision he has is ... and the keeping true to the art.