Don’t Romanticize the Process! An Interview with Lacol on Housing and Cooperatives

Founded a decade ago in 2014, Barcelona-based practice Lacol defines itself as an “architecture cooperative.” Comprising a team of fourteen multidisciplinary professionals, Lacol operates across five axes: construction, cooperative housing, participation, exhibitions and stage design, and urbanism. Eschewing conventional hierarchies, Lacol not only embraces the cooperative model within its organizational framework, but also champions cooperative housing practices as a radical solution within Catalonia’s architectural landscape. Among their recent projects are the La Borda housing cooperative (2018) and La Balma collective housing (2021). Our interview with Lacol members Cristina Gamboa and Eliseu Arrufat delves into their perspectives on cooperativism concerning both their organizational structure and the urban context of Barcelona. Expounding their insights into domesticity and recent housing schemes, the interview sheds light on Lacol’s intricate, and often delicate, relationship with inhabitants, municipalities, and other stakeholders. Through this thoughtful exchange, Lacol shares its aspirations for the future of housing and the enduring legacy of cooperativism in architectural practice.