Safdie Architects has completed a comprehensive renovation of Moshe Safdie’s unit at Habitat 67, a landmark project of modern architecture pioneered a vision for urban housing using the technology of pre-fabricated construction in 1967 in Montréal, Québec.

The 10th floor duplex unit owned by Moshe Safdie was completely restored to the 50th Anniversary of Habitat 67, in conjunction with a major 2017 exhibition of Safdie Architects’ work at UQAM, entitled Habitat ‘67 vers l’avenir: The Shape of Things to Come.

The private unit is perched atop the residential complex, looking across the Saint Lawrence River towards downtown Montréal. After two-year of research and inventory of the original 1967 conditions, the project involved repair of decades of water damage, restoration of the interior to its original condition, and technical upgrades of all building systems to 21st century standards of sustainability and energy conservation. 

To address water damage, the exterior concrete walls were stripped to allow proper repair, insulation, and waterproofing of the envelope to withstand Canadian winters. 

The architects restored wood parquet flooring according to the original condition, with a slot detail providing air supply and return from the raised floor below. They used new energy-efficient windows behind the wall, matching the original profile and sightlines. Sliding patio doors were restored to their original working condition, allowing them to retract into the wall, and disappear when opened.

The molded fiberglass bathrooms were painstakingly restored by a local shipwright and integral fixtures and fittings were rehabilitated. Kitchen cabinets and appliances were restored, with new appliances integrated behind the cabinetry to match the original. On the terraces, clear polycarbonate railings were restored.

After renovation, Safdie's unit will be donated to the public realm, to be a resource for scholarly research, open for public visits, by tour. Safdie Architects is also involved with an ongoing comprehensive restoration of the exterior building envelope for the Habitat 67 complex.

Project facts

Safdie Architects: Sean Scensor, Matt Longo, & Reihaneh Ramezany

Local architect: Ghislain Bélanger

Contractor: Fairmont Construction

All images © Marc Cramer + Thomas Miau

All drawings © Safdie Architects

> via Safdie Architects