diff --git a/gen/objcgen.cpp b/gen/objcgen.cpp
index 04b216d686c..4f36d2e7541 100644
--- a/gen/objcgen.cpp
+++ b/gen/objcgen.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
 //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
 
 #include "gen/objcgen.h"
-
+#include "dmd/expression.h"
+#include "dmd/identifier.h"
 #include "dmd/mtype.h"
 #include "dmd/objc.h"
 #include "gen/irstate.h"
@@ -40,6 +41,78 @@ bool objc_isSupported(const llvm::Triple &triple) {
   return false;
 }
 
+ObjCState::ObjCState(llvm::Module &module) : module(module) {
+  llvm::LLVMContext &c = module.getContext();
+  _class_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_class_t");
+  _objc_cache = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_objc_cache");
+  _class_ro_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_class_ro_t");
+  __method_list_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "__method_list_t");
+  _objc_method = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_objc_method");
+  _objc_protocol_list = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_objc_protocol_list");
+  _protocol_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_protocol_t");
+  _ivar_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_ivar_t");
+  _ivar_list_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_ivar_list_t");
+  _prop_t = llvm::StructType::create(c, "_prop_t");
+
+  _class_t->setBody(
+      {_class_t->getPointerTo(), _class_t->getPointerTo(),
+       _objc_cache->getPointerTo(), _class_t->getPointerTo(),
+       /// i8* (i8*, i8*)**
+       llvm::FunctionType::get(
+           llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+           {llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c), llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c)}, false)
+           ->getPointerTo()
+           ->getPointerTo(),
+       _class_ro_t->getPointerTo()});
+
+  _class_ro_t->setBody(
+      {llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c), llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+       llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c), llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+       llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c), __method_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+       _objc_protocol_list->getPointerTo(), _ivar_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+       llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c), _prop_list_t->getPointerTo()});
+
+  __method_list_t->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+                            llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+                            llvm::ArrayType::get(_objc_method, 0)});
+
+  _objc_method->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+                         llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+                         llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c)});
+
+  _objc_protocol_list->setBody(
+      {llvm::Type::getInt64Ty(c),
+       llvm::ArrayType::get(_protocol_t->getPointerTo(), 0)});
+
+  _protocol_t->setBody({
+      llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+      llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+      _objc_protocol_list->getPointerTo(),
+      __method_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+      __method_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+      __method_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+      __method_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+      _prop_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+      llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+      llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+      llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c)->getPointerTo(),
+      llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+      _prop_list_t->getPointerTo(),
+  });
+
+  _ivar_list_t->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c), llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+                         llvm::ArrayType::get(_ivar_t, 0)});
+
+  _ivar_t->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt64PtrTy(c), llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c),
+                    llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c), llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+                    llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c)});
+
+  _prop_list_t->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c), llvm::Type::getInt32Ty(c),
+                         llvm::ArrayType::get(_prop_t, 0)});
+
+  _prop_t->setBody({llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c), llvm::Type::getInt8PtrTy(c)});
+}
+
 LLGlobalVariable *ObjCState::getCStringVar(const char *symbol,
                                            const llvm::StringRef &str,
                                            const char *section) {
@@ -91,6 +164,22 @@ LLGlobalVariable *ObjCState::getMethVarRef(const ObjcSelector &sel) {
   return selref;
 }
 
+LLGlobalVariable *ObjCState::classVarRef(const ObjcClassReferenceExp &cre) {
+  llvm::StringRef s(std::string("OBJC_CLASS_$_")
+                    + cre.classDeclaration->objc.identifier->toChars());
+
+  auto it = methVarRefMap.find(s);
+  if (it != methVarRefMap.end()) {
+    return it->second;
+  }
+  auto selref = new LLGlobalVariable(module, _class_t, false, LLGlobalValue::ExternalLinkage, llvm::ConstantPointerNull::get(_class_t->getPointerTo()), s);
+  selref->setSection("__DATA,__objc_classrefs");
+  methVarRefMap[s] = selref;
+  retain(selref);
+
+  return selref;
+}
+
 void ObjCState::retain(LLConstant *sym) {
   retainedSymbols.push_back(DtoBitCast(sym, getVoidPtrType()));
 }
diff --git a/gen/objcgen.h b/gen/objcgen.h
index a050a091077..b677565ecd1 100644
--- a/gen/objcgen.h
+++ b/gen/objcgen.h
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
 
 #include <vector>
 #include "llvm/ADT/StringMap.h"
+#include "llvm/IR/Type.h"
+#include "llvm/IR/DerivedTypes.h"
 
 struct ObjcSelector;
 namespace llvm {
@@ -23,13 +25,14 @@ class GlobalVariable;
 class Module;
 class Triple;
 }
+class ObjcClassReferenceExp;
 
 bool objc_isSupported(const llvm::Triple &triple);
 
 // Objective-C state tied to an LLVM module (object file).
 class ObjCState {
 public:
-  ObjCState(llvm::Module &module) : module(module) {}
+  ObjCState(llvm::Module &module);
 
   llvm::GlobalVariable *getMethVarRef(const ObjcSelector &sel);
   void finalize();
@@ -37,6 +40,18 @@ class ObjCState {
 private:
   llvm::Module &module;
 
+  llvm::StructType* _class_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _objc_cache;
+  llvm::StructType* _class_ro_t;
+  llvm::StructType* __method_list_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _objc_method;
+  llvm::StructType* _objc_protocol_list;
+  llvm::StructType* _protocol_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _ivar_list_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _ivar_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _prop_list_t;
+  llvm::StructType* _prop_t;
+
   // symbols that shouldn't be optimized away
   std::vector<llvm::Constant *> retainedSymbols;
 
@@ -47,6 +62,7 @@ class ObjCState {
                                       const llvm::StringRef &str,
                                       const char *section);
   llvm::GlobalVariable *getMethVarName(const llvm::StringRef &name);
+  llvm::GlobalVariable *classVarRef(const ObjcClassReferenceExp& cre);
   void retain(llvm::Constant *sym);
 
   void genImageInfo();
diff --git a/gen/toir.cpp b/gen/toir.cpp
index 6a2c00052e0..061a4d01d15 100644
--- a/gen/toir.cpp
+++ b/gen/toir.cpp
@@ -2805,6 +2805,17 @@ class ToElemVisitor : public Visitor {
     llvm_unreachable("Unknown TypeidExp argument kind");
   }
 
+  void visit(ObjcClassReferenceExp *e) override {
+    IF_LOG Logger::print("ObjcClassReferenceExp::toElem() %s\n", e->toChars());
+    LOG_SCOPE;
+
+    auto name = std::string("OBJC_CLASS_$_") + e->classDeclaration->objc.identifier->toChars();
+
+    IF_LOG Logger::print("%s\n", name.data());
+    // result = DtoLoad(llvm::StructType::get(gIR->context(), "_class_t")->getPointerTo(), name);
+
+  }
+
   ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 #define STUB(x)                                                                \