By Aimee Knight
A collaborative housing venture in Madrid is paving the way towards more socially and ecologically sustainable ways to live.
“For about 20 years, I’ve been interested in architectural ecology,” says Iñaki Alonso, one of the pioneering architects behind the Entrepatios Las Carolinas project.
A venture – and adventure – in cohousing, it was built in Madrid’s working-class southern suburbs, with architectural sustainability and energy efficiency as top priorities. The dwelling runs entirely on renewables, produces zero carbon emissions and holds great social significance.
It took almost two decades of dreaming, planning and determination to come to fruition but, in 2020, the Entrepatios project became Madrid’s first model of collective ownership. Comprised of 17 units, the complex is run by a cooperative that owns the building, in which all the residents made an initial investment.
This article first appeared in The Big Issue Australia, a magazine sold on the streets of Australia by people who have limited other ways of earning an income.