Habitat 67, Brutalist residential complex in Ville-Marie, Canada.
A total of 354 prefabricated concrete modules form 158 apartments distributed across three interconnected pyramidal structures in staggered formations, with each unit receiving different floor plans and multiple terraces through the arrangement of the modules.
Architect Moshe Safdie developed the project as his graduate thesis at McGill University School of Architecture before the Canadian federal government funded construction for the 1967 World's Fair, originally planned with one thousand units but reduced to 158.
The complex served as a vision for dense urban living and demonstrated that residents in high-rise environments could maintain access to private outdoor space and natural light, influencing the North American conversation about urban housing forms.
The building at 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy offers public tours that provide access to select apartments and shared outdoor areas. Reservations are required since it remains an occupied residential building. The nearest metro station is Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène.
Each module weighs around 90 tons and was positioned by crane, with some units comprising up to five modules connected across as many as three levels, allowing residents to use internal staircases within their own apartments.
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