Habitat 67 1r1n1h

AD Classics: Habitat 67 / Safdie Architects 01:00 - 21 July, 2013

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Habitat 67, designed by the Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie as the Canadian Pavilion for the World Exposition of 1967, was originally intended as an experimental solution for high-quality housing in dense urban environments. Safdie explored the possibilities of prefabricated modular units to reduce housing costs and allow for a new housing typology that could integrate the qualities of a suburban home into an urban high-rise. Reflecting on the project’s significance in “A look back at habitat ’67” Safdie stated that “Habitat ‘67 is really two ideas in one. One is about prefabrication, and the other is about rethinking apartmentbuilding design in the new paradigm.” [1]

+ 17 More after the break... The project originated as Safdie’s thesis at McGill University in 1961, titled "A Case for City Living" and described as "A ThreeDimensional Modular Building System". Two years later, when he was only 23 and interning in Louis Kahn’s studio, Safdie’s thesis advisor, Sandy Van Ginkel, invited him to submit his project for the World Exposition of 1967. Safdie developed his original theories into a complete master plan which contained shopping centers, a school, and 1000 housing units. The scheme was confirmed, despite Safdie’s young age, but was ultimately reduced by the Canadian government to only 158 residential units.

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© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill University Habitat 67 was constructed from 354 identical and completely prefabricated modules (referred to as “boxes”) stacked in various combinations and connected by steel cables. The apartments vary in shape and size, since they are formed by a group of one to four of the 600 square-foot “boxes” in different configurations. Each apartment is reached through a series of pedestrian streets and bridges, along with three vertical cores of elevators for the top floors. Service and

parking facilities are separated from the tenant’s circulation routes, located on the ground floor.

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via ethel-baraona.tumblr.com The prefabrication process of the 90-ton boxes took place on-site. The basic modular shape was molded in a reinforced steel cage, which measured 38 x 17 feet. Once cured, the concrete box was transferred to an assembly line for the insertion of electrical and mechanical systems, as well as insulation and windows. To finalize

the production, modular kitchens and bathrooms were installed, and finally a crane lifted each unit to its designated position.

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via arkitectos.blogspot.com The on-site prefabrication system should have reduced the cost of production, an integral part of Safdie’s vision for creating an affordable housing complex. Unfortunately, due to the reduction of the project’s mass scale, costs were much higher than expected. However, though Habitat failed to strike a new wave of

prefabrication, it succeeded in creating a new housing typology that is both effective and site adaptable.

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© (2001)

Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill University By stacking concrete “boxes” in variant geometrical configurations, Safdie was able to break the traditional form of orthogonal high rises, locating each box a step back from its immediate neighbor.

This ingenious method provided each apartment with a roof garden, a constant flow of fresh air and a maximum of natural light: qualities which were unprecedented for a twelve story apartment complex. Habitat 67 thus pioneered the integration of two housing typologies—the suburban garden home and the economical high-rise apartment building.

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Photo by Brian Pirie via Wikimedia Commons

In the years following the world exposition, numerous Habitats were constructed around the world: in New York (1967), Puerto Rico (1968), Israel (1969), Rochester (1971) and Tehran (1976). And though most World’s Fair pavilions are disassembled upon the Fair’s completion, Habitat 67 retained its original purpose, and today continues to serve as a successful housing complex. Like other icons of large exhibitions and fairs—such as The Crystal Palace and the Eiffel Tower - Habitat 67 has thrived despite its intended shelf life and remains an emblems of its era.

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© Jade Doskow Not only revolutionary in its time, Habitat 67 has continued to influence architecture throughout the decades. A similar spatial scheme can be found in Ricardo Boffil’s kafka castle (1968; of course, whether Bofill influenced Safdie or visa versa is a cause for controversial debate); Habitat’s prefabrication technique was applied in Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower in 1972; and, more recently, one might even suggest that BIG's Mountain Dwelling draws direct inspiration from Safdie’s design strategy. Save this picture!

Photo by Gergely Vass via Wikimedia Commons Just for fun, check out the following bizarre music video by Leonard Cohen, shot at Habitat 67! [1] "A Look Back at Habitat '67 with Moshe Safdie", by Amanda Demaron via http://www.dwell.com/habitat67

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Photo by Wladyslaw via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Ian Korn via flickr.com/photos/iankorn. Used under Creative Commons

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© Jade Doskow

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Photo by Gergely Vass via Wikimedia Commons

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© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

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© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

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© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

© (2001) Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill

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Habitat 67

Contents [hide]  1 Introduction  2 Design  3 Post-completion  4 Find out more  4.1 Related articles on Deg Buildings Wiki  4.2 External references Introduction Habitat 67 is an experimental modular housing complex in Montreal, Canada, designed by architect Moshe Safdie as a vision for the future of urban living. The building was created as the showpiece for Expo 67, one of the largest world fairs which was held in Montreal in 1967. Safdie had originally conceived the building as part of his university thesis. He had travelled across America and become disillusioned by the high-rise apartments and unsustainable suburban sprawl that he saw as the prevailing modern architecture. He was inspired, in part by the movement of Brutalism which had attempted

to reinvent urban architecture, as well as the post-war Japanese movement known as Metabolism. This was characterised by buildings that were designed as organic, living systems of prefabricated cells. Located on Cite du Havre, a man-made peninsula, Habitat 67 is now regarded as an architecturallandmark despite its failure to achieve Safdie’s aim of ‘reinventing the apartment building’ in the high-density urban environment.

Design Safdie was approached to develop the master plan for the building which was approved by the federal government and financed for completion by the time of Expo 67, where housing was to be one of the central themes. Habitat 67 comprises 354 prefabricated stacked concrete modules arranged in various geometric configurations to reach 12 storeys in height. The interlocking forms are connected via walkways and include landscaped terraces. By creating a series of properties that each feature its own roofgarden and access from an external ‘street’, the idea was to combine the urban garden residence with the modular highrise apartment building. Fifteen different housing types were developed that varied between 60 and 160 sq. m. To increase the energy efficiency of the building by preventing unnecessary journeys, six large elevator pillars were constructed to allow for vertical access that stops only on every fourth level. While the original masterplan envisaged more than 1,000 residences, together with shops and a school, the completed complex featured just 158 apartments of varying sizes and formations, the reduction being due in part to the higher-than-anticipated per-unit cost. A factory had been built beside the site so that the prefabricated construction of the modules could take place in close proximity, before being connected by high-tension rods, steel cables and welding. Far from being the most cost-effective solution, as had been thought, the costs escalated to CAD$22 million (which translated to around CAD$140,000 per apartment).

Post-completion Despite being experienced by some 50 million people during Expo 67 and being lauded as a ‘fantastic experiment’ by critics, it didn’t inspire the ‘revolutionary uptake’ of prefabricated, modular development that had been hoped for by Safdie. Plans were proposed to replicate the design in New York, Puerto Rico and Israel but never realised. After Expo 67 the Canadian government sold the building to a businessman for CAD$10 million. In 1985, the tenants formed a limited partnership to purchase the building for CAD$11.5 million, and since then it has come to be seen as a leading example of a successful co-operative. Today, it stands as an icon of Canadian architecture and a key tourist attraction, with apartmentsoccasionally being let for very high sums.