Habitat '67 by Safdie Architects

Habitat '67 © Flickr- username: washingtonydc

Habitat '67 © Flickr- username: ndh

Habitat '67 © Flickr- username: sputnik 57

     Habitat was the major theme exhibition of the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal. It pioneered the design and implementation of three-dimensional prefabricated units of habitation. Three hundred fifty-four construction modules connect to create 158 residences. These range in size from 600-square-foot one-bedroom dwellings to 1,800-square-foot four-bedroom dwellings. In all, there are fifteen different housing types. Stepped back in their modular placement, each residence has its own roof garden. Play areas for young children are provided throughout the project.
     Three elevator cores direct vertical circulation throughout the complex. Elevators stop at every fourth floor to serve pedestrian streets. The streets are continuous through the project, and access to the dwellings is directly off them. The project incorporates both covered parking for all tenants and additional visitor parking.
     In Habitat '67 all the parts of the building, including the units, the pedestrian streets, and the elevator cores, participate as load-carrying members. The units are connected to each other by post-tensioning, high-tension rods, cables, and welding, all of which combine to form a continuous suspension system.
                                                    Safdie Architects ( Montreal, Quebec, Canada 1967 )