Habitat 67

The Origin

Expo 67, one of the world’s largest universal expositions was held in Montreal. Within the movement of liberalization and opening to the world characterizing this period, the exposition was entitled “Man and his World” as the title of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s masterpeace. Housing was one of the main themes of Expo 67.
Habitat 67 is an experience that was revealed as being a spectacular achievement impacting on the collective imaginary and contributing in a significant way to the feeling of pride of the Montrealers.
It is Moshe Sadie’s discovery, student in architecture at McGill University in the beginning of the 60’s: an urban and three-dimensional housing concept rallying the “single family dwelling” in an adaptable form to density.

An icon of permanent modernity

The cube is the base, the mean and the finality of Habitat 67. In its material sense, the cube is a symbol of stability. As for its mystic meaning, the cube is symbol of wisdom, truth, moral perfection, at the origin itself of our civilization.

354 cubes of a magnificent grey-beige build up one on the other to form 148 residences nestled between sky and earth, between city and river, between greenery and light.

The whole unites in a gigantic sculpture futuristic interiors, links, pedestrian streets and suspended terraces, aerial spaces, skylights of different angles, large plazas and monumental elevator pillars, without forgetting the openings, here and there, that are as many winks and calls to meditation from the environment as well as from the living experience.