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Ardmore Habitat Condominiums

  • CA CAC 58-1-293
  • Subseries
  • between 1980 and 1985
  • Part of Moshe Safdie

The Ardmore Habitat Condominiums are situated in the heart of downtown Singapore, adjacent to the famed Orchard Road. The project consists of two 17-story towers of vertically stacked terraced units. The project was constructed by Robin Loh Enterprises, shipbuilders and developers, with the objective of providing the amenities of Habitat '67 to a constricted downtown site zoned for vertical massing.

Both towers consist of alternating flat and two-story apartments, opening to a large outdoor garden. The two-story maisonettes are organized around an atrium, which extends to a large double-height external garden that serves as a visual and physical extension of the living area.

Sizeable roof terraces extend the living area of each unit, strengthening the vertical and horizontal spatial experience. On the exterior this interplay manifests as an alternating pattern of flats and maisonette units, creating a multidirectional façade. Terraces wrap the corners of the towers, further articulating the elements of solid and void.

The towers contain 61 middle income and luxury housing units, which are connected at ground level by landscaped recreation areas that include a swimming pool, squash courts, and gardens.

Safdie Architects

Ballet Opera House

  • CA CAC 58-1-423
  • Subseries
  • between 1987 and 1990
  • Part of Moshe Safdie

The Ballet Opera House was planned as the home and performance center for the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company, located in downtown Toronto between Bay and Yonge Streets. When a new provincial government was elected, however, the project was indefinitely shelved pending resolution of funding issues. Safdie's design features a public passage, referred to as "Gallery of the Artists," traversing the site at street level and accommodating specialty retail elements. The heart of the project was to be a 2,000 seat auditorium consisting of a main stage and three support stages, while the exterior of the building was to be composed of a series of tower-like elements that integrated it with the surrounding streets of Toronto.

Safdie Architects

Simpang New Town

  • CA CAC 58-1-514
  • Subseries
  • between 1992 and 1994
  • Part of Moshe Safdie

In this proposed new town of 125,000, commissioned by the Housing and Development Board of the Republic of Singapore, the repetitive housing typology model that maximizes density is re-examined. To break down the scale and maintain target densities, several housing typologies combine to create a hierarchy of massing that maximizes views and daylight exposures.

These planning precepts incorporate a combination of high- and medium-density walk-ups with high-rise buildings, including terraced housing and clusters, to form urban windows that prevent the formation of solid walls along waterfront and park edges.

Three principal main streets and a central linear park unite and orient the town. Streets and pedestrian paths run perpendicular to the park, where most social and educational services are located, bringing all dwellings into close walking and driving proximity to greenery, services, the town center, and the sea front. To capture views and take advantage of the city's natural edges, high-rise towers line the central park, the southern edge of town, and the waterfront. These design principles create a new and vibrant urbanism, celebrating the connection to the natural world with an organized set of networks and systems that serve diverse community activities and needs. Completed in 1994.

Safdie Architects