How Architecture Is Born: 6 Meticulous Models by Safdie Architects and Their Real-World Counterparts

Last month, we looked at some truly artful three-dimensional representations of architecture by Allied Works, showing how abstract compositions of forms and material juxtapositions can help inspire great buildings. However, there remains a valuable place for a more traditional form of model-making in the profession. A carefully crafted diorama can make for a powerful communicator of an architect’s vision, affording clients a tangible preview of a project and getting them truly excited about what is to come.

No practice understands this better than Safdie Architects, and the firm is now giving everyone a chance to see the world-class models that gave form to the concepts behind some of its most well-known landmarks. A new exhibition entitled “Global Citizen” — on show at the National Academy Museum in New York City from now until January 10, 2016 — displays many of Safdie’s three-dimensional studies, graphics, and photographs that beautifully illustrate the architect’s attention to detail on even the largest of developments.

Here, we take a closer look at six models that culminated in iconic buildings situated across the globe, from Israel and India to Singapore and the United States. Each model is shown twice on the left – once in full and then in detail – with two photographs of each completed building on the right. This is how Moshe makes architecture:

1. Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

For the subterranean design of the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, it was important for Safdie to model the terrain as accurately as possible, giving a picture of the architecture’s intimate relationship with the surrounding landscape. The resulting building — a buried prism that terminates with an extraordinary view across the hills — provides an immersive experience overflowing with emotive power in keeping with its profound content.

2. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass.

In contrast with many of the other models in the exhibition, the urban location of the Peabody Essex Museum meant that it was more important to emphasize the building’s unique form rather than the surrounding landscape. Safdie achieved this via the use of a monochromatic material, the distinctive profiles of five connected buildings carefully carved from pale timber blocks.

3. Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Another model in which the surrounding context is as important as the building itself, this rendition of the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles brilliantly depicts pavilions linked with outdoor courtyards, arcades, amphitheaters, and landscaped ravines. The expansive model gives an accurate overview of each unique space within the mixed-use complex, collectively carved into the forested mountains of Southern California.

4. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.

120 acres of wild Ozark landscape surrounds the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, and Safdie’s model reflects this accordingly, providing a compelling vision of a cultural landmark that blends seamlessly with nature. The vaulted and convex ‘torodial’ roofs evoke the leaves and petals of local flora, and the material palette of the model accurately represents the natural aesthetic of the finished complex.

5. Khalsa Heritage Center, Anandpur Sahib, India

The model created for this cultural complex in India places the building firmly within its context, illustrating its connection with the water, hills, and sandstone cliffs. The overview gives one a perfect view of the building’s most iconic feature: its distinctive concave roof, which acts as a counterpoint to the traditional gold domes of Sikh temples.

6. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The first thing you notice about the model for Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore is its sense of scale; tiny figurines on the waterfront throw the height of this soaring trio of towers into sharp focus. One can also walk around this incredibly detailed structure and view it from multiple angles, enabling an increased understanding of the juxtaposition of sculptural forms across the mixed-use complex.

Exhibition images courtesy Safdie Architects. Photo credits can be found on each project profile.

Enjoy this article? Check out the previous entries in our series “How Architecture Is Born”: Stunning models and drawings by Allied Works and joyful sketches by CEBRA.