Unique Architecture Building: Habitat ‘67
Habitat 67 is a housing complex designed for World Exhibition in 1967 by an architect Moshe Safdie and the building was built on a reclaimed land. Habitat 67 actually is a Moshe Safdie's project for his master's thesis in architecture at McGill University but then his project was built as a housing complex for Expo 67. Habitat 67 is an avant-garde design with today’s standards. Habitat 67 is offer a brand new lifestyle which hasn’t lost its attractiveness. Striving to design a much gentler model for that inner-city high-rise, Safdie created a making that might offer most of the facilities of any suburban house: a lot of lights, gardens, good air circulation, and outdoor streets which residents could gather and met up.
The Architectural Design
The design of Habitat 67 is base on a cube. The design looks like a stacked cube with an irregular pattern. Within its substance impression, the cube is a symbol of the stability. Around 354 cubes construction of superb grey-beige has built up one particular on the others in order to create 148 homes. It is vital for the impression regarding the community, Safdie looked for to create at Habitat 67 tend to be its exterior pathways, known as pedestrian streets, which interconnect the multi-leveled household modules in five distinct storeys.
Habitat 67 consists of 354 prefabricated concrete which are identical and then it is formed and arranged in various combinations. The units of the building that looks like boxes reach up to 12 floors high. Then, units and structures are set to make 146 residences with a variety of sizes and configurations in the form of cubes with formation seemed composed but looks overlapping one another. Habitat 67 were basically designed and developed to create a beautiful residential suburb yet affordable, this building combines modern buildings like urban apartments with a beautiful garden, fresh air, privacy and multileveled environments. Moshe Safdie basically aims to make affordable housing complex that implemented by developing the housing complex of Habitat 67 but his efforts to make affordable building failed because in the end the cost per unit of the building swelled to C $ 140,000 per unit. Nevertheless, Moshe Safdie has managed to create a unique building complex and he was able to amaze the world. His amazing job is known until this day.
The Community Residences
The total area of Habitat 67 site consists of 22,160 square meters (or 238, 500 sq ft). The site was commissioned by the Canadian Corporation for World Exhibition in 1967. This took 3 years to develop it (around 1964-67) and it already cost $17 millions Canadian.
You can find 15 model types in 12 flooring surfaces various in between 1 and 8 cubes and it include:
- 3 side views and landscaped terraces
- The Site is 624 to 5, 000 sq ft, exhibited in excess of 1, 2, 3 or 4 storeys.
- Exclusive terraces from 225 to 1, 000 sq ft
- 6 elevators
- including central heating and air conditioning
The Habitat 67 as Heritage Site
Habitat ’67 was given historic monument status by the Quebec Minister of culture on March 27, 2009. The surface of the building is currently designated as a heritage site, however, not the interior since they are privately owned condominiums and therefore it would be as well challenging to maintaining it.
However, 4 decades have got passed due to the fact its construction. The Habitat 67 is remain intact until today. Habitat ’67 is still an architectural building where forthright modernist ever constructs; lovely vistas, good air circulation, and close promenades are part of the each day experience of dwelling. A great avant-garde design with today’s standards, Habitat 67 proposed a brand new lifestyle which hasn’t lost its attractiveness.
When Habitat 67 included in Expo 67, this building received world acclaim and recognition. Expo 67 itself was attended by no less than about 50 million people. Habitat 67 considered as a "fantastic experiment" and "architectural wonder". The success and fame of Habitat 67 help to raise Moshe Safdie's career. Though it has been over 40 years since he made the design of Habitat 67, the concepts of Moshe Safdie's works were still held his fundamental to its designs. Moshe Safdie already designed about 75 buildings from around the world. Even nowadays, Habitat 67 has become an architectural landmark of Canada. This building is also become very easily to recognizable because of its unique and has already known as one of the famous building in the world.
