For sale an apartment in the most unique building in Canada, Habitat 67, the most famous prefabricated building in Quebec.

If we talked last week about the advice we could give Paula Echevarría, in case she is encouraged to build a modular house in our country, this week it is time to travel to Canada, specifically, 2,600 from Pierre-Dupuy Avenue , to a building that offers an apartment of 116 square meters for $ 551,114 or, transferred to euros, 447,441, almost nothing. But … what is special about this property that costs 3,800 euros per square meter?

The first thing we have to know is that its image leaves no one unperturbed, since it is made up of a seemingly random and capricious cluster of reinforced concrete cubicles, all the same but in different directions, as if they had been thrown in any way and would have melted just as they were falling. It is, without a doubt, an allegory of disorder very well ordered …

The complex (never better) is from 1967 and was built for the Montreal World Exhibition of the same year. Of course, it was one of the first buildings to use prefabricated construction in an innovative way. So much so that his success eclipsed his main motivation, that of creating quality residential spaces at low cost for medium and low income. Its name: Habitat 67.

The idea is very simple, instead of building octagonal parallelepipeds where to encapsulate families, the design aims to configure a neighborhood full of open spaces, with landscaped terraces and typical comforts of single-family homes. The architect, a young man (in that year) Moshe Safdie, created a module that multiplied it by 365 (this number sounds to me …) connecting it later on a branch, creating 158 residences, nowadays, 146, since some have been reconfigured .

The surfaces vary between 55 and 168 square meters built, housing from one to four bedrooms in 15 different typologies. All homes have their own garden and there are playgrounds for children in various locations. The building is distributed in three large sections, communicated horizontally by walkways that reach the common areas. It is 12 stories high with which you can enjoy the magnificent views of Montreal.

The house that is for sale responds to the apartment number 1018, is composed of two floors connected by a fabulous wooden staircase to two stilt-free strides, allowing the passage of lush light, which floods the entire house. Surely many architecture and engineering lovers would pay much more to reside in this construction icon.

The property has been renovated with respect to the original design, spacious and ventilated spaces, without dividing the living room of the elegant kitchen on the ground floor, next to a toilet. Through the window, the views of the San Lorenzo River and much more. On the upper floor, the master bedroom opens to a living room with office, and there is also the main bathroom, decorated with white tiles imitating the waves of the sea and, with my applause, built-in furniture.

And what about the fantastic wooden floor, composed of wide planks that stand out among the white walls of the building. A false ceiling hides an audio, video and lighting system of the Crestron house, although the best, as always, is outside: a beautiful terrace will delight your days and your nights if you decide to buy, with unparalleled views of your own Building and the best of Montreal.

One of the most incredible things about Habitat 67 was its birth, given that it was designed for the final thesis of Moshe Safdie and that, despite not obtaining maximum recognition, it caught the attention of those responsible for the Expo, which It gave him the opportunity to carry out his project, of course, it is the dream of every architect, a brooch that very few enjoy, and that marks the beginning of a brilliant career.

The main bathroom decorated with white tiles imitating the waves of the sea

At the time, its construction cost 17 million Canadian dollars and, although Safdie’s intention was to make its price affordable, the complexity of the work raised costs, preventing more similar complexes from being built. The cubicles were created in a factory, in it the bathrooms, kitchens and window frames were assembled and installed. In the work, a post-tensioning system and steel cable joints allow the idyllic image of a living, moving building, in which, soon, there will be a new tenant … Do you want to be you? 😉