Cooperative, Collective, Self-Managed: Three Projects in Barcelona, 2017-2019

Abstract

Lacol embodies two crucial forms of practice aligned with degrowth principles. First, it is an architect’s cooperative office, and second, their work aims to redefine collective modes of cooperation at various scales. The projects included here were possible in the context of a city that has promoted the commons, created the spaces for, and exemplified a praxis of sensible materials usage, solidarity and social economies, self-organization, minimized environmental impact, and mainly networked cooperative spaces. Together they set urgent examples for anti-extractive practices of impending capitalist growth.