I was looking for apartments for sale in Montreal when I found one located in Habitat 67. I hadn’t heard of the place before but now that I read about it I think it would be a really funky place to live in. Habitat 67 which is pictured above was built in 1967 but it looks like it could have been built today. Here is some info I found on it on Wikipedia.
It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie based on his master’s thesis at McGill University. It was designed to integrate the variety and diversity of scattered private homes with the economics and density of a modern apartment building. Modular, interlocking concrete forms define the space. The complex was built as part of Expo ’67. The project was designed to create affordable housing with close but private quarters, each equipped with a garden. The complex was originally meant to be vastly larger. It also failed in its goal of being affordable as the building is today quite elite.
Anyway the apartment I found is a 3 bedroom flat and costs $399,000 Canadian. Its expensive for a 3 bedroom flat and I can’t afford it but its nice to know that a piece of architectural history can be purchased for that amount. Check out the Habitat 67 website for more pictures and info. [Link]
27 replies on “Habitat 67”
Mark do you start to thinking about moving to Canada?
not now, but maybe sometime in the future like 5 years from now or something. been living in kuwait all my life so it would be good to try something new.
The location of these apartments is great too….in Nun’s Island, barely a 10-minute car ride from downtown.
I don’t know how big these are though from the inside…and given the recent hike in real estate prices in Montreal, I think $399,000 ain’t all that bad 🙂
Habitat 67 was built as part of Expo ’67, the World’s Fair that was held in Montreal in 1967 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the founding of Canada.
It’s on an island off of the main island that Montreal is built on but it is connected to the city by a metro (subway). It’s also right next to the Grand Prix circuit so for one week of the year it would be fairly noisy!
i wish someone would have the vision to try something like this in kuwait. I mean, it’s not like there isn’t enough concrete…
This style of building has been used greatly in Holland, I think it was developed in holland! they use it greatly, and I know an architect that knows how this system is developed, the point of it is that it can made very quickly, a good infrastructure, and it can be moved into different cube shapes as you see safely! its pretty cool! the one in holland is built over the water and it looks pretty damn cool!
Mark, you will be interested an article which appeared this morning on the CBC news: https://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/07/23/safdie-resort-singapore.html. You should also be aware that during the past year, real estate prices in Canada have sky-rocketed. $399K for a 3-bedroom Habitat condo is no longer considered expensive. I would question why the price for a Habitat condo is so low!
Ray M
If u want to live here u need a car cause the neighborhood is sooo queit and gives u an isolated feeling from the downtown, although it’s just across the river. If u like queit instead of the bustling downtown I agree Nun’s island is a lot better.
Awesome.
freaking awesome.. bas freakin expensive for 3 bedroom house
fractal that is cheap as hell! a two bed room town house costs 900’000 in santa clara california where I lived!
400’000 for a four bedroom is cheap is as hell!
Safdie is a very abled Israeli architect, but some architects like this particular building and some don’t. Its been described as being bulky and rigid in design. Tell us Mark on what you finally decide on.
? i wasnt considering of buying the flat lol i was just looking
I happened to pass by it yesterday. It’s pretty cool. Every apartment functions like a private villa; no window is overlooking another window; each “villa” has its own backyard patio. And prices are really cheap for such apartment in Montreal.
What I did not like about it is the location. It lies in the closest part of Nun’s Island to Downtown Montreal, which is around 10-15 minute drive to the city. It is on a river, but unfortnatey, the segment of the river it overlooks is being used some factories for industrial transport purposes.
I’d suggest you look for an apartment in the mainland. Good luck.
Yours,
Abdulrahman
Funk-aaaaaaaaaaa-y!
Speaking as an architect, I think this may be one of the best designed complexes in the world, especially since it was done in the late 60’s. Hat’s off to the architect! So LeCobusier
I think the design is definitely different, but nonetheless innefficient. The trend of “designer” real estate projects will in the future appear to be nothing but blobs of concrete and steel structures. The aesthetic part of design has to be timeless and culturally relative and sensitive to local architectural elements. To see such a blob of concrete in a beautiful, historic city like Montreal is in my view disastrous. This project might have a better place in Dubai, where local architectural footprints are wiped out by similar concrete and steel monstrosities. Like Vogue magazine puts it ” a skyline on crack”
salvck;;,nkkncc
There’s no way a 3 bedroom apartment there goes for $400k. It must be around $1 million. I saw an ad where they were renting a 2 bedroom for around $4k/mo.
Some additional infos on this building.
Built in 1967 as part of Expo 67. This building is not located on Nun’s Island but on a manmade island right across old Montreal. No metro available there but a shuttle bus connects the building to downtown Montreal. Ride time is approximately 10 minutes.
Each cube is 600 sqare feet (55 sq.meters)
Appartments are usually configured as 2 or 3 cubes combination. Due to increase in real estate prices in Montreal the $400K is extremely conservative. In fact you would have to spend $475K-$600K for a two cube appartment in 2008. This price is in line with any other luxury building in Montreal. For more info and picture, go visit the official site of the building http://www.habitat67.com
It is an amazing structure…..I say “structure” and not building because the concept was an alternative to the apartment building. These are not apartments….but rather houses.
Each “House” can me made of multiple modules depending on the required space. The windows allow for privacy and each one has it own courtyards. There are no “hallways” but rather “sidewalks”. Rather then think of it as a traditional apartment building you have to view it as an entire neighbourhood of houses stacked-up. It was a revolutionary vision by a genius Architect. Some like it, others don’t…but no one questions the originality and vision of the idea. It is and was…everything good architecture should be. Some of Canada’s best buildings are designed by Mr. Safdie.
It’s might be easy for a famous Architect with a staff of hundreds of “assistants” to design great structures….I can’t help but think…this was his first major job….back before he could afford hundreds of people. I love all his biuldings especially the National Gallery….but this one shows the thoughts and genius of the man himself. Bravo Mr. Safdie.
I absolutely love this building. The concrete cubes and its massiveness is like no other. If anyone is interested in buying a unit in habitat 67, rslefebvre.com has beautiful available units, ranging from 300k to over 1M. I believe prices are very reasonable considering the prestige of the building.
Some units are even for rent
Try to find a 3 bedroom condo in Old Montréal for that price and you will never find it. Maybe at 800.000$ or more.
Safdie is a truly brilliant mind and to think this came out of his masters thesis (granted he was already at the famous McGill University). I own condos in NYC, Boston and Toronto and I am considering buying in Montreal (I love the City). I think it has to be a mistake that this goes for 400K. I mean a crappy 1 bedroom condos in Toronto go for twice that! I have to look into this. And as far as I know Safdie was the originator of this design not anyone in Holland so for the person who said it was from Holland check your facts, it was likely copied to Holland. Also this does fit with Montreal given the location is across the harbor on its own island as opposes to being integrated with the rest of Montreal. No way can u compare this with the crass monstrosities in Dubai!
Just checking prices and found out Monthly fees on top of purchase price are $1600+.
I don’t know Montreal but here in Australia that would be montly rental on quite a nice property.
I just saw one for sale with monthly fees of $2495. OMG it’s like having 2 mortgages.