Moshe Safdie's monumental apartment complex — built near Montreal's Old Port as a showpiece project for Expo 67 — is having a bit of a moment, with Asian cities leading a revival of the structure's boldly blocky style.

Daniels lecturer Hans Ibelings, an architectural historian and critic, spoke with the CBC's Craig Desson about Habitat 67's legacy.

"I believe that when something is new in architecture, it's seen as a novelty," Ibelings told Desson. "When it's 30, 40 years old, and if it managed to survive … then it can become a classic and you can see this clearly with Habitat."

Photograph by Francis Bourgouin/Flickr