The Future of Housing that Wasn't

For the past decade no building has captivated me quite like Habitat 67. Ascending over the Saint Lawrence River opposite Montreal Harbor, this is an apartment complex like no other, an experimental project intended to usher the world into a livable, egalitarian urbanist future at a time when global society seemed to be rethinking everything. Views, light, and nature for the masses, in a bold and daring form of stacked prefab concrete boxes, a concept that ultimately backfired as it has become one of Montreal's most desired and expensive buildings. And the building is massive - it stretches 900' from one end to the other, about as long as four city blocks in Old Montreal. Let’s explore the vision, implementation, and the triumphs and failures of a truly one of a kind building. SOURCES | FURTHER READING 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67 2. https://www.safdiearchitects.com/proj... 3. https://www.habitat67.com/en/homage/ 4. https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/build... 5. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/11/bru... 6. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s... 7. https://dailyhive.com/montreal/condo-... 8. https://www.rslefebvre.com/Properties... Habitat Listings 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favela#... Creator: chensiyuan. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_S... Creator: Michael Ronnen Safdie. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 11. Expo 67 Image Creator: Laurent Belanger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 12. Place de Nations (2006), Colocho (Unconfirmed) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 13. USA Pavilion, Creator: CA2MI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 14. Pavilion de France, Creator: Laurent Bélanger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 15. Site map of Expo 67, Creator: Thomas Römer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 16. Comparison Buildings: NOCA https://www.livabl.com/montreal-qc/noca 17. Public Domain footage of Expo 67 via the Prelinger Archives, Creator: Henry Fleischer https://archive.org/details/6327_Expo... TOPICS COVERED montreal, habitat 67, architecture, brutalism, expo 67