Cooperative

The recent launch of Custòdia—a new alliance of cooperatives aiming to acquire housing and land to keep them off the speculative market—has prompted us to reflect once again on a question that has been part of our practice for many years: what role can architecture play in the face of the housing access crisis?

As an architecture cooperative, Laboqueria Arquitectura understands that this crisis will not be resolved solely by building more housing. It is also necessary to promote new models of ownership, management, and governance that ensure housing remains a good for use rather than a speculative asset.

In this context, initiatives like Custòdia represent an interesting evolution of the cooperative movement. Driven by over thirty cooperatives and social economy entities, the project proposes creating a community land bank capable of acquiring buildings and homes from large property owners to permanently preserve them as affordable housing, drawing inspiration from international Community Land Trust models.

This perspective aligns closely with how we understand our profession. In recent years, we have had the opportunity to participate in projects like La Balma—a benchmark for cooperative housing under the right-to-use model in Barcelona—where architecture moves beyond mere building design to become a tool serving a community and a different way of living.

However, transforming the housing model is not solely an urban challenge. We also work in rural settings, where access to housing is essential for retaining the population, revitalizing villages, and creating new opportunities. In both contexts, we share the same conviction: architecture can help build housing models that are more accessible, sustainable, and deeply rooted in the local territory.

This idea was also central to the Arquitectura.Coop conference, where we exchanged experiences with other architecture cooperatives. The conclusion was clear: when facing complex challenges like the housing crisis, inter-cooperation and collective action are no longer merely options—they have become necessities.

At Laboqueria Arquitectura, we will continue working to ensure architecture is part of the solution—not only by designing buildings but also by helping to drive models that guarantee the right to housing and generate a positive, lasting social impact.