Habitat 67

Safdie Architects

ARK-E5507 - Urban Renewal Lectures

Seminar 27.10.2017

Noora Lamberg
Context
History

The project originated as Moshe Safdie’s thesis at McGill University in 1961, titled “A Case for City Living” that is based on a
three dimensional modular building system
History

Safdie’s original plan included a twenty-two storey commercial complex with integrated community and cultural facilities, and a separate,
mostly residential ten-storey complex, containing a total of 950 housing units.

The structure for the initial plan consisted of a series of inclined A-frames that were connected by pedestrian walkways with loadbearing
modular units attached, constructing a three-dimensional membrane wrapping over the activities and facilities below.
History

Habitat ‘67 was realized as the main pavilion for the International World Expo “Man and His World”, held in Montreal in 1967. Basing
its reasonig in the socialist ideals of the 1960s, Safdie’s thesis project explored new solutions to urban design challenges and high-den-
sity living. It was designed to combine the pros of suburban living like gardens, fresh air, privacy, and multileveled environments, with
the economics and density of a modern urban apartment building.
Urban context / Location

Located outside Montréal downtown across the water to the East from the Old port on Cité du Havre peninsula.

Despite its approximity to the city centre, Habitat ‘67 is quite quite isolated and separetad from the urban fabric
Urban context / Location

Located outside Montréal downtown across the water to the East from the Old port on Cité du Havre peninsula.

Despite its approximity to the city centre, Habitat ‘67 is quite quite isolated and separetad from the urban fabric
Urban context / Location
Urban context / Location
Systems
Structure

The buiding consists of 354 rectangular modules, each of which measure 12 m x 5.33 m x 3 m, or 56 m2. Habitat’s modules were all
constructed and assembled on site where the concrete was produced and then applied to the prefabricated steel cages to form the mod-
ules. The modules were then lifted into place on the main structure by crane, and positioned in one of 16 different configurations.
Structure

The precast, concrete modules are assembled and clustered along a spine of three building service cores, hill-shaped structures, and
held together by post-tensioning, high-tension steel rods, cables, and welding. The structure is 12 storeys and 44 meters tall overall.
Circulation

With the community and cultural goals of the project the external walkways or pedestrian streets are and integral part of Habitat.
Circulation horizontal
Circulation horizontal

Vehicular circulation 76 out door parking spaces, 200 in the ground floor parking garage
Circulation vertical
Circulation vertical & horisontal

The pedestrian streets interconnect the multi-levelled residential modules on five storeys: ground floor, plaza level, and its fifth, sixth, and tenth
floors providing direct access to each residence. According to Safdie it is these walkways which both expose the building and its residents to the
natural elements, fresh air and nature as well as build the sense of community and belonging.
Services

The commercial and institutional facilities Safdie originally planned for Habitat - its schools, shops, offices and cultural spaces - nev-
er materialized. A convenience store in the complex’s underground parking lot is its only retail operation.

Other services available in the premises include a private shuttle bus between the complex and Downtown Montreal that runs 6 days
a week, security service including an entrance gate with 24-hour doorman service, tennis courts, gardens maintained by horticultur-
ists and indoor and outdoor parking
Numbers and ratios
Areas

Total area : 22 160 m2 (238,500 sq. ft.)

Unit area from 56 m2 (one module) to 280 m2 (five modules) displayed over 1 to 3 floors.
Private terraces from 20 m2 - 93 m2
Circulation space : 10 220 m2
Garage space: 5 110 m2

The livable space totals to 23 225 m2. The private space is around 1.5 times the public space
Density and costs

1 acre = 4047 m2

Set out to find efficient solutions to high density living, high material an labour costs, no denser than an average block of row houses,
Efficiency 1-ish

Far from being the most cost-effective solution the original budget was reduced from 42 million dollars to 13,5 million dollars, which
eventually went over budget and the overall costs were 22 million dollars (and this translated to around CAD$140,000 per apartment).
Qualities
Apartments

Originally 158 units, 16 different types of apartments, afterwards some apartments have been joined reducing the overall number
Apartments are 1 bedroom to 4 bedroom units in 1 to 3 floors, and each opens in at least three directions and at least one out-
door terrace
Apartments

89% ofthedwelling 2 and 3 module units

Interiors / private
Exteriors / private

Each apartment unit has at least one outdoor terrance of at least 20 m2

Exteriors / enclosed semi public

With the design of masses and voids atmosphere of enclosed spaces in the circulation areas, therefore also semi-private feel to
the space
Exteriors / enclosed semi public
Exteriors / open public

Close up the porosity of the volume is revealed, with the suburban atmosphere of the immediate environment even the public
areas around the building feel only semi-public
Thank you.