European Collective Housing Award presents winning projects in Spain and Switzerland

The inaugural edition of the European Collective Housing Award has been announced by a panel of judges that included Anne Lacaton and Fernanda Canales. 

Their selection of a converted former wine storage facility in Basel, Switzerland, designed by Esch Sintzel Architekten, took home the top honors in the Renovation Category after being selected over seven other finalist designs. 

It was joined by La Borda, a purpose-built wooden structure in the New Construction Category by Lacol in Barcelona, Spain. The innovative building was completed in 2018 and features 28 total dwellings oriented around a central courtyard presciently meant to foster a sense of community for its residents while alleviating poverty.

Renovation Category winner: Conversion of a Wine Storage into Housing in Basel, Switzerland, by Esch Sintzel Architekten

"The project demonstrates that ordinary, utilitarian buildings have value and can support new creative projects that bring something positive to the neighborhood and the city. It brings not only quality but additional life. It is sustainable thanks to the reuse of the existing concrete structure, which absolutely must be taken into account in the carbon balance," the jury said of the Swiss Renovation winner. 

"This existing structure is complemented by a new construction that densifies and gives a new identity and new life to the site," their statement continued. "In terms of architecture, it shows a new way of living and the imagination needed to reinvent an existing structure. It demonstrates that transforming the existing creates a new and unexpected quality of housing that defies standard typologies. In terms of the building's collective infrastructure, it has collective spaces that celebrate and facilitate communal living."

New Construction Category winner: La Borda in Barcelona, Spain, by Lacol

"This is an outstanding example of collective housing development in the city at all stages of the process. The ambition goes beyond the scale of the building, being part of a bottom-up process of regeneration of the whole neighborhood," the jury added of the winning New Construction design. 

"The housing concept brings a new imagination of living and cohabitation. It is about successful cohabitation between individuals, communal living, and public engagement. The architecture brings generosity and demonstrates that the transformation of the limits of contemporary living turns technical challenges into resources, which, together with sustainability, can be approached in another way, prioritizing quality of life. The introduction of the cooperative system as an alternative model to housing production combines affordability and quality in the right way," the jury continued.

Lacol, the ten-year-old cooperative behind the development, describes their work: "La Borda's community model, as opposed to more traditional public or private promotions, has made it possible to overcome some major limitations imposed on collective housing architectural projects. In the public sector, the fear of the future user, who is totally unknown, prevents the introduction of changes that could affect the normalised way of living. In the case of private developers, market logics are imposed, impoverishing housing in order to facilitate its assimilation as an object of consumption. The innovation of the urbanisation process has been key to working with architecture beyond its formalisation. We identified five characteristics of this model that have a direct response in the project: self-promotion, right of use, community life, sustainability, and affordability."

The project stands currently as Spain's tallest wooden structure and serves as a model for overcoming the challenges endemic in the typology, according to the jury. Lacol, which won a 2022 Mies van der Rohe Award over their efforts, was also featured in Archinect's 2022 roundup of employee-owned cooperatives. The project is notable for the inclusion of future residents in its design and construction process.

Special mentions were also granted to the Ekko project by Duncan Lewis in Bordeaux, France, in the New Construction Category, and to Phase 2 of the Park Hill redevelopment in Sheffield, UK, from Mikhail Riches studio.  

The first edition of the awards generated 171 entries from 19 different countries after being organized jointly by the Basque Country Architecture Institute and France's Arc en Rêve Centre D'architecture.

Organizers praised the "great participation in this first edition, which shows that Europe is not only the stage for socially and environmentally responsible architecture but also has professionals with great capacity and innovative vision to face the challenges that lie ahead."

Following is the full roster of finalists.

Selected Finalists in the Renovation Category:

• Felix Platter Hospital (Basel, Switzerland) by Müller Sigrist Architekten
• Qville (Essen, Belgium) by B-architecten
• Nekkersput (Ghent, Belgium) by DBLV architecten
• La commune (Liège, Belgium) by he-architectes
• Social housing in Rua da Vitória (Porto, Portugal) by MAVAA architects
• Phase 2 of Park Hill redevelopment (Sheffield, UK) by Mikhail Riches
• 1970s social housing complex renovation (Trento, Italy) by Campomarzio+Studio Bombasaro
• SchloR - Schöner Leben ohne Raiffeisen (Vienna, Austria) by Gabu Heindl and team

Selected Finalists in the New Construction Category:

• La Chalmeta (Barcelona, Spain) by Vivas Arquitectos
• Maierhof (Bludenz, Austria) by feld72
• Ekko (Bordeaux, France) by Duncan Lewis
• Spiegelfabrik (Fürth, Germany) by Verena von Beckerath and Tim Heide
• Kuppe Estate (Horgen, Switzerland) by Esch Sintzel Architekten
• A House For Artists (London, UK) by Apparata Architects
• Public rental housing (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) by Balearic Housing Institute
• Zollhaus Kalkbreite (Zurich, Switzerland) by Enzmann Fischer Architekten