Habitat 67 is a famous architectural wonder in the land of maple leaves, also a symbol of Montreal – “Paris city” in the heart of Canada. Habitat 67 is the idea of architect Moshe Safdie based on his master’s thesis at McGill University and was built in 1967 for Expo 67.
Accordingly, the original master plan involved more than 1,000 residential areas, in addition to shops and schools. All have been “shrunk down” to just 158 houses, forming a 12-story complex located next to the Saint Lawrence River in the city center. Designed to revolutionize low-cost urban homes.
“I thought that the appearance of Habitat 67 was very important at the time. It resonated with the public and was an alternative to conventional condominiums. Habitat broke all previous prejudices. Here about high-rise buildings, people can enjoy a comfortable life like living in a village instead of the negatives of apartment buildings.
While there were mixed opinions at the time, the fact that we had the opportunity for 50 million people to experience Habitat during Expo as a real environment shows that this project is possible in the future.” shared with Dezeen.
15 different housing types have been developed. These apartments have an area from 60m2 to 160m2, each with 1-4 bedrooms. 6 monumental elevator posts have been added to provide access and stop only at every fourth floor, thus helping to reduce energy consumption.
This building is arranged from 354 identical concrete cubes in a unique geometric blend. By using a variety of geometrical arrangements, using both setbacks and voids, Safdie has created a unique architecture.
Construction took place on site, a factory was built next to the construction site for the production of concrete modules, connected by high quality drawbars, steel cables and welded joints. Safdie believes this is the most cost-effective solution.
This apartment complex was completely restored to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017. The main cause of the renovation was water leak damage that lasted for decades. The exterior concrete walls were stripped for repair, adding insulation and waterproofing to them so the -20 °F Quebec cold wouldn’t affect it.
Now, Habitat 67 has reopened for public tours and is being turned into a site for academic study in design and architecture. The classic beauty of this architectural masterpiece is maintained throughout, parquet floors have been restored to their original appearance, energy-saving windows have been installed and sliding doors are hidden in the walls.
The 90-minute tours are led by Kathleen Bouvier, a historian and a seven-year former resident of Habitat 67. Apartments here are pretty cheap compared to Montreal’s rental market. . Each apartment has a separate small garden planted with trees and wide corridor. According to architect Safdie, many of the original residents still live in this apartment complex and even he has chosen for himself an apartment here.
According to Dezeen, Architectural Figest
