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Habitat was the major theme exhibition of the 1967 Montréal World Exposition. As a demonstration, the project pioneered the design and construction of prefabricated housing. As an urban building type, Habitat’67 sought to mix residential, commercial and institutional uses to create a more vital neighbourhood, and to provide the amenities of the single-family home in a form adaptable to high densities and constrained budgets.
Each dwelling in Habitat is, therefore, a separate house, recognisable in space, whether on the second or the 12th floor. Houses at all levels are accessed by outdoor pedestrian streets that widen into play areas for children at numerous places throughout the building. Covered parking for all tenants, outdoor parking for visitors, and several stores is provided on the ground level. A geometric fountain doubles as a cooling pond for central air-conditioning.
Habitat’67 is a three-dimensional space structure in which all the parts of the building, including the units, the pedestrian streets, and the three elevator cores participate as load-bearing members. The interior components were produced, assembled and installed into each box unit in the factory, with single-unit bathrooms of gel-coated fibreglass, kitchens manufactured by Frigidaire, and window frames made of Geon plastic.
At the ground level, a service road system connects all services areas and parking facilities. One level above the service roads is a pedestrian plaza, and above that plastic-sheltered streets which connect all parts of the project through walk-ways and bridges. At no time it is necessary for a pedestrian to cross the service roads. To reach the homes on the upper levels there are three vertical cores, where the elevators serve the horitzontal pedestrian streets. For the younger children, unable to go alone to the parks on the ground, there are playgrounds on upper levels.
In its broad concept and all its details, Habitat’67 is an important contribution to the study of Man in the Community.
Interview BBC Moshe Safdie
interview.mp3
Habitat’67 / Montréal
