Habitat '67
Encyclopedia
Habitat 67, or simply Habitat, is a model community and housing complex in Montreal
, Canada
designed by Israeli–Canadian architect Moshe Safdie
. It was originally conceived as his master's thesis in architecture at McGill University
and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67
, the World's Fair
held from April to October of 1967. It is located at 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy on the Marc-Drouin Quay next to the Saint Lawrence River
.
Habitat 67 is widely considered an architectural landmark
and one of the most famous and significant buildings in both Montreal and Canada as a whole.
in Philadelphia, Safdie was approached by Sandy van Ginkel
, his former thesis advisor, to develop the master plan for Expo 67, the world's fair that was set to take place in Montreal during 1967. Safdie decided to propose his thesis as one of the pavilions and began developing his plan. After the plans were approved in Ottawa
by Mitchell Sharp
, the federal cabinet minister responsible for the exhibition, and Lester B. Pearson
, Safdie was given the blessing of the Expo 67 Director of Installations, Edward Churchill, to leave the planning committee in order to work on the building project as an independent architect. Safdie was awarded the project in spite of his relative youth and inexperience—he was in his twenties and had never built a building—and later described the opportunity as "a fairy tale, an amazing fairy tale".
The development was financed by the federal government, but is now owned by its tenants, who formed a limited partnership that purchased the building from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
in 1985. Safdie himself still owns a penthouse apartment in the building.
concrete forms arranged in various combinations, reaching up to 12 stories in height. Together these units create 148 residences of varying sizes and configurations, each formed from between one to eight linked concrete units. The complex originally contained 158 apartments, but several apartments have since been joined to create larger units, reducing the total number. Each unit is connected to at least one private terrace, which can range from approximately 225 to 1000 sq ft (20.9 to 92.9 m2) in size.
The development was designed to integrate the benefits of suburban home
s, namely gardens, fresh air, privacy, and multilevelled environments, with the economics and density of a modern urban apartment buildings. It was believed to illustrate the new lifestyle people would live in increasingly crowded cities around the world. Safdie's goal for the project to be affordable housing largely failed: demand for the building's units has made them more expensive than originally envisioned. In addition, the existing structure was originally meant to only be the first phase of a much larger complex, but the high per unit cost of approximately C$
140,000 prevented that possibility.
The theme of Expo 67 was "Man and his World", taken from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's memoir Terre des hommes
(literally "Land of Men"), translated as Wind, Sand and Stars
. Housing was one of the main themes of Expo 67. Habitat 67 then became a thematic pavilion visited by thousands of visitors who came from around the world. During Expo 67 it was also the temporary residence of the many dignitaries coming to Montreal.
Even in 2011, more than 40 years after Habitat, much of Safdie's work still holds to the concepts that were so fundamental to its design, especially his themes of reimagining high-density housing and using architecture to improve social integration, which have become "synonymous" with his work.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
designed by Israeli–Canadian architect Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie, CC, FAIA is an architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author. Born in the city of Haifa, then Palestine and now Israel, he moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, when he was 15 years old.-Career:...
. It was originally conceived as his master's thesis in architecture at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
held from April to October of 1967. It is located at 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy on the Marc-Drouin Quay next to the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
.
Habitat 67 is widely considered an architectural landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
and one of the most famous and significant buildings in both Montreal and Canada as a whole.
History
Safdie's design for Habitat 67 began as a thesis project for his architecture program at McGill University. It was "highly recognized" at the institution, though Safdie cites its failure to win the Pilkington Prize, an award for the best thesis at Canadian schools of architecture, as early evidence of its controversial nature. After leaving to work with Louis KahnLouis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
in Philadelphia, Safdie was approached by Sandy van Ginkel
Sandy van Ginkel
Harmen Peter Daniel van Ginkel, CM was a Dutch and Canadian architect and urban planner. He was a leading force in the planning efforts surrounding Expo 67....
, his former thesis advisor, to develop the master plan for Expo 67, the world's fair that was set to take place in Montreal during 1967. Safdie decided to propose his thesis as one of the pavilions and began developing his plan. After the plans were approved in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
by Mitchell Sharp
Mitchell Sharp
Mitchell William Sharp, PC, CC was a Canadian politician and a Companion of the Order of Canada, was most noted for his service as a Liberal Cabinet minister. He had, however, served in both private and public sectors during his long career.-Background:Sharp was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
, the federal cabinet minister responsible for the exhibition, and Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
, Safdie was given the blessing of the Expo 67 Director of Installations, Edward Churchill, to leave the planning committee in order to work on the building project as an independent architect. Safdie was awarded the project in spite of his relative youth and inexperience—he was in his twenties and had never built a building—and later described the opportunity as "a fairy tale, an amazing fairy tale".
The development was financed by the federal government, but is now owned by its tenants, who formed a limited partnership that purchased the building from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is a Crown corporation, owned by the Government of Canada, founded after World War II to provide housing for returning soldiers...
in 1985. Safdie himself still owns a penthouse apartment in the building.
Concept and design
Habitat 67 comprises 354 identical, prefabricatedPrefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
concrete forms arranged in various combinations, reaching up to 12 stories in height. Together these units create 148 residences of varying sizes and configurations, each formed from between one to eight linked concrete units. The complex originally contained 158 apartments, but several apartments have since been joined to create larger units, reducing the total number. Each unit is connected to at least one private terrace, which can range from approximately 225 to 1000 sq ft (20.9 to 92.9 m2) in size.
The development was designed to integrate the benefits of suburban home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
s, namely gardens, fresh air, privacy, and multilevelled environments, with the economics and density of a modern urban apartment buildings. It was believed to illustrate the new lifestyle people would live in increasingly crowded cities around the world. Safdie's goal for the project to be affordable housing largely failed: demand for the building's units has made them more expensive than originally envisioned. In addition, the existing structure was originally meant to only be the first phase of a much larger complex, but the high per unit cost of approximately C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
140,000 prevented that possibility.
The theme of Expo 67 was "Man and his World", taken from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's memoir Terre des hommes
Terre des hommes
Terre des hommes is a charitable international humanitarian federation which concentrates on children's rights, founded in 1959 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland...
(literally "Land of Men"), translated as Wind, Sand and Stars
Wind, Sand and Stars
Wind, Sand and Stars is a memoir by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939. It was translated from the French by Lewis Galantière, and published in the US in November 1945....
. Housing was one of the main themes of Expo 67. Habitat 67 then became a thematic pavilion visited by thousands of visitors who came from around the world. During Expo 67 it was also the temporary residence of the many dignitaries coming to Montreal.
Legacy
As one of the major symbols of Expo 67, which was attended by over 50 million people during the year it was open, Habitat 67 gained world-wide acclaim as a "fantastic experiment" and "architectural wonder". This experiment was and is regarded as both a success and failure—it "redefined urban living" and has since become "a very successful co-op", but at the same time ultimately failed to revolutionize affordable housing or launch a wave of prefabricated, modular development as Safdie had envisioned. Despite its problems, however, Habitat's fame and success "made [Safdie's] reputation" and helped launched his career; Safdie has now designed over 75 buildings and master plans around the world.Even in 2011, more than 40 years after Habitat, much of Safdie's work still holds to the concepts that were so fundamental to its design, especially his themes of reimagining high-density housing and using architecture to improve social integration, which have become "synonymous" with his work.
Panorama
See also
External links
- Official website of Habitat 67
- Official website of Moshe Safdie and Associates
- Habitat 67 at the Moshe Safdie Hypermedia Archive of McGill University
- Habitat 67: Then and Now
- Habitat 67 at Great Buildings Online