I'm Martina from Atelier 15 Madrid, an architecture and Cohousing consultancy studio. In this article we want to tell you what Cohousing is and where it comes from, because it is an honour to share with you that we women have another achievement in history: Cohousing has feminine origins.
We can trace its beginnings to the 12th century in Flanders, a region between Belgium, France and the Netherlands, where a group of independent women, far from being subject to any rule or discipline, decided to come together and support each other in a community called a Beguinage.
These women were known as Beguines. For a long time they were branded witches and persecuted by the Inquisition, but their only aim was altruism: caring for the destitute and supporting one another, sharing child-rearing and resources. The community was built around a shared courtyard, with common spaces such as a vegetable garden, a dining hall or a church. These spaces also took in those most in need and offered them support. Another very important thing about these communities is that the women were free to leave whenever they wished, as they were the ones who formed them, without any kind of dependence.
This is clear evidence that as early as the 12th century there were groups of people leading a more collaborative life, more focused on the common good.
And how is Cohousing developing today?
Today Cohousing is another way of living, in which a group of self-developers, families or individuals choose to come together to have a different kind of neighbourhood, one that moves away from today's individualism and where spaces and support can be shared, always without forgetting one's own privacy and home, which will be a complete dwelling with kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathroom.
In these models, the common spaces, as in the Beguinages, become an extension of each home: that is where the magic of community living happens, where the common good, support and sharing drive the people who live there. And not only that: these spaces can be opened up to the neighbours of the district, city or village, with activities such as workshops, discussion groups or public talks.
Each Cohousing project has its own soul, because its essence is created by the residents who gradually shape it.
Self-developers play an essential role in these models, as the project is designed around their needs and the group is the main driving force behind it.
At the start of a Cohousing project, the group of future residents splits into several subgroups or committees on different topics: Living together, Finance, Architecture, Finding land or a building to refurbish, Welcome, and so on. The group is supported and empowered by professionals through specific workshops on these topics, so that it can achieve its goal of community living.
This way of making decisions about one's own home and how to live in it gives residents a different kind of attachment to the building and its spaces, which leads to better upkeep and care.
People are, of course, as in the Beguinages, free to leave the community whenever they wish and get on with their lives.
There is no doubt that these ways of living also lead us to imagine a different kind of city. Imagine if there were more than one Cohousing project in your city: how much more collaborative it would be...
Martina Dell'Unto