CHICAGO, IL USA 20 MAY 2021 – The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) celebrated Moshe Safdie, recipient of the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 2021 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference, which took place virtually from 18 to 20 May 2021. CTBUH hosted a live interview of Safdie by architectural journalist Sam Lubell discussing his built and unbuilt work, and his fundamental design principals of humane building environments that continue to impact the profession today. The interview was the conclusion to the prestigious, multi-day conference. 

The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment during his or her professional career. These contributions and leadership are recognized by the professional community and have significant effects, which extend beyond the professional community, to enhance cities and the lives of their inhabitants. 

Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. Over a celebrated 50-year career, he has explored the essential principles of socially responsible design with a distinct visual language. After apprenticing with Louis I. Kahn in Philadelphia, Safdie returned to Montréal to oversee the master plan for the 1967 World Exhibition. In 1964, he established his own firm to undertake Habitat ’67, an adaptation of his undergraduate thesis and a turning point in modern architecture. Author of four books and a frequent essayist and lecturer, Safdie’s global practice includes projects in North and South America, the Middle East, the developing world and throughout Asia and Australia. Projects span a wide range of typologies, including airports, museums, performing arts, libraries, housing, mixed-use and entire cities.