ARCHITECTURE 471: INTEGRATIONS INSTRUCTOR J.

ROSE FALL 2008

SUSTAINABLE PREFABRICATION
HABITAT 67
MOSHE SAFDIE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC 1967
TYLER CARTER
LAURA PFOUNTZ

Innovative architecture has to do with someone reading the secrets

of a place in a profound way. Sometimes, what you read into a site has
to do with its future, not with what is already there. - Moshe Safdie

Moshe Safdies Habitat 67 was the main exhibit in the 1967 Montreal World Exposi-
tion, a design originating from his college thesis: A Three-Dimensional Modular
Building System. Safdie drew inspiration from the hillside villages of Israel, where
the house was located in a high density complex composed of modular units.
The idea had such traditional roots, but also had to set examples for innovation
and standardization in the Exposition. Safdie responded with a scheme of three-
dimensional pre-fabricated modules that integrated the urban structure by provid-
ing a range of facilities within a single organism. He hoped that this could cata-
lyze future urban development on the surrounding shores of the St. Lawrence River.

SUSTAINABLE PREFABRICATION PRECEDENT STUDY: HABITAT 67

DOCUMENTATION

Grouting Tube

Steel Plate

1/2 Dia. Grout Pipe

16 Beam
Different apartment configurations used in
Habitat 67 based on the box module.

1 Dia. Post-tension Bar

9-11 1/2 Upper Unit

16 Beam
End Shield
Coupler Shield

Sponge Rubber Axonometric of living unit in relation to roof slabs and

1/8 Neoprene Pad on garden spaces. Red lines indicate post-tensioning.
3/8 Steel Plate
9-11 1/2 Lower Unit

4x 4x 1/4 Anchor Plate

5 Floor Slab

Wall section of box con- (Left) Typical pre-fab. bath unit

nections showing post- inserted into each apartment.
tensioning (refer to axo- (Right) An apartment plan showing a living arrangement.
nometric on right). Each layout varies based on the unit configuration.

SUSTAINABLE PREFABRICATION PRECEDENT STUDY: HABITAT 67

ANALYSIS
Kitchen Unit
Bathroom unit
Pre-fab Units Manufactured off-site.
Kitchen and Bathroom inserted on-
site into the box unit
Box units combine to create many
configurations of apartments.
The apartments pull back as they stack
upon each other. This creates a seies
of terraced garden spaces below.
SUSTAINABLE PREFABRICATION PRECEDENT STUDY: HABITAT 67
The entire structure includes 354 modules, creating 158 separate residen-
tial units, with 15 different variations of layouts. A single module is 17-6
x 38-6, and is 10 high. Each weighs from 70-90 tons. A precast fac-
tory was constructed on-site and used 4 large steel moulds to build the
units. Each was capable of producing a single module within 48 hours.
When a precast modular unit was being cast, different moulds were
put in place for the different window openings, dependent upon which
type of unit it was. Once the concrete cured, the wood subfloor was
built into the unit. Pre-fabricated components, including bathrooms and
kitchens, were manufactured off site. Once a unit was complete, these
components were sent to the site and set into each unit. The complete
unit was lifted by a crane and set into place. Once in place, necessary
structural connections were made, as well as plumbing and electrical.
The structure of Habitat 67 was built in a total of 10 months and 21 days.
The crane lowering each apartment unit into place
Pre-fab. concrete formwork for apartment unit (4 moulds)
 ANALYSIS

Pedestrian Level

Post-tensioning below walkway where mech. storage is enclosed (refer to section on left).
Mech. area en-
closed below. It
services apart-
ment units from
here

Section of Pedestrian Walkway Show-

ing Post -tensioning. The Member acts
structurally as a large girder.

Roof Slab Elevator shafts connect to pedestrian walkways where tenants can access their apart-
ments (either one floor above or one floor below). Walkways occur on the 5th and 9th floors.

Fittings where
roof and floor
slabs rest

Floor Slab C AA B AA B AA C AA B AA B AA D AA B AA B AA C AAB AA D AA B AA C AA B AA B AA C

Mech. Space Rhythm established by structural module

below

The load transfer between apartments is

most intense at ground level and de- (Left) Interior view of Living Room in apartment unit showing the St. Lawrence River
creases as each stacks upon another. below. (Right) Interior view showing the stairs connecting a lower unit to one above.

Habitat 67. Ottawa: Crown, 1967.

Kohn, Wendy. Moshe Safdie. London: Academy, 1996.
Pike, Alexander. Architectural Design. 37-3 vols. London: White Friars Press Ltd., 1967.
Habitat 67. McGill University. September 2, 2008 <http://cac.mcgill.ca/safdie/
habitat/default.htm>.