roberto conte captures iconic habitat 67 in the icy canadian winter

capturing moshe safdie’s dramatic, pyramid-like compositions

Architectural photographer Roberto Conte captures quiet compositions of one of Montreal’s most iconic modern landmarks, Habitat 67, amid the icy cold of Montreal’s harsh winter. Designed by Moshe Safdie as part of his master’s thesis at McGill University in 1961 and realized for the Expo 67 six years later, the model community and housing complex consists of three brutalist style pyramids, composed of 354 prefabricated concrete modules identically sized and irregularly stacked. The undoubtedly utopian project aimed to offer a different solution to the issue of urbanization of large masses of citizens, in particular by providing terraces and free views of the surrounding landscape, with much debated results.

Habitat 67: a modern icon | all images © Roberto Conte

roberto conte spotlights habitat 67 against a frosty backdrop

Photographer Roberto Conte captures images of Habitat 67 in the final and most freezing days of January 2022 in -28 degrees celsius to present a unique perspective on the iconic structures. The photo series follows Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie’s donation of his own apartment in the residential complex he designed, to McGill University where the project began over 50 years ago.

Described as an ‘anti-brutalist’ structure by its architect, Habitat 67 was conceived as part of Moshe Safdie’s master’s thesis at McGill University and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67 wherein housing was a key theme. The original proposal from 1967 was adapted and revised by the architect alongside structural engineer August Eduard Komendant after which the construction works started. The complex later went on to become one of the most iconic symbols of Expo 67, along with Buckminster Fuller’s Biosphere, both the only surviving structures of the event.

Moshe Safdie donates his Habitat 67 apartment to McGill University where the idea was conceived