Habitat 67 in Montreal (Canada) - a brutalist modular complex

Habitat 67 is a residential complex in Montreal, Canada.

The complex was designed by Moshe Safdi, an architect of Canadian-Israeli origin. When realising Habitat 67 as his thesis, Safdi was inspired by the architecture of old towns in the mountains.

The building was built for the 1967 Expo ('Expo 67 - Man and His World'), serving as a pavilion and later transformed into a residential complex.

The Canadian residential complex was constructed from 354 prefabricated concrete modules measuring: 38.5 feet long, 17.5 feet wide and 10 feet high.

This allowed for 158 flats (ranging from 56 to 167 m²) reaching up to the 12th floor in height. When several flats were combined, the number of units decreased to 146.

The prefabricated blocks are assembled around the three main cores of the building. The flats consist of one or two prefabricated units, depending on their size. Each flat consisting of more than one room has two prefabricated blocks, one of which is placed above the other. The flats occupy between one and eight modules and between one and three storeys.

Each flat also has its own external terrace, placed above another prefabricated block below. The areas of the terraces range from 21 to 93 m².

The total area of the complex is 22,160 m².

The 12-storey building is served by 6 lifts. Throughout the entire length of the complex, there are walkways on four floors (2, 5, 6 and 10), providing direct access to the flats.

The construction of the building was funded by the federal government, but it is now owned by its tenants, who formed a limited partnership, which then purchased the building from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1985. Architect Safdie still owns the penthouse suite in the building.

The development was designed to combine the advantages of suburban homes, access to gardens and fresh air, and privacy with the economy and density of a modern urban apartment building. The complex was intended to illustrate the new lifestyle that people will lead in increasingly crowded cities around the world.

On 26 February 2009, Habitat 67 was declared a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture of the Province of Quebec.