Our-Shelves Houses by SUMA Arquitectura – Sustainable Cooperative Housing in Madrid

Our-Shelves Houses, designed by SUMA Arquitectura, redefines the concept of cooperative housing in Madrid, Spain. Completed in 2021, this 296 m² residential project provides an innovative response to the challenges of low-density urban contexts, offering a model that blends sustainability, typological innovation, and community living.

Located in a neighborhood where most buildings predate Madrid’s 1997 General Urban Planning Plan, the project adapts to complex volumetric constraints and varying building heights. Instead of imposing a rigid block, SUMA Arquitectura introduced a design strategy that prioritizes landscaped buffers and setbacks, generating both private and communal outdoor spaces. This integration recovers the spirit of Madrid’s historic “linear city” while ensuring natural light, greenery, and ventilation shape everyday living.

Cooperative Housing as a Customized Living Model

The project was developed as a cooperative housing initiative for young professionals seeking their first home. Unlike standard residential developments, Our-Shelves Houses consists of 8 duplex apartments, each with three staggered levels. This unique spatial arrangement ensures that all homes benefit from private outdoor areas — gardens on the ground floor and large terraces on the upper penthouses.

Customization is at the heart of the design. Each apartment is treated like a tailor-made suit, adapted to the specific needs of its occupants. Beyond material selection, residents participated in shaping layouts and details, creating personalized homes that reflect individual lifestyles and collective identity. Shared amenities include a swimming pool, landscaped gardens, and underground parking, strengthening the sense of community.

Typological and Spatial Innovation

The design introduces split-level living, allowing apartments to span multiple heights and enhance connectivity between rooms, terraces, and gardens. This arrangement fosters visual openness, cross-ventilation, and a stronger dialogue between indoor and outdoor spaces.

A key feature of the project is the wooden structure, which serves multiple roles:

• Load-bearing framework
• Sun shading and privacy control
• Integrated furniture and shelving
• Visual continuity with nature

The building’s envelope is conceived as a “customizable matrix”, where recessed planes double as functional shelves and storage solutions. From wardrobes and desks to kitchen counters and bookshelves, the architecture itself accommodates everyday living, merging structure and function into one cohesive system.

Sustainable and Prefabricated Timber Construction

Sustainability drives every aspect of the design. The building relies on an aerothermal system with heat exchange, ensuring energy-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation. Solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system further reduce environmental impact.

Structurally, the project employs cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (GLT) made from red fir and wild pine. This renewable material is not only low-carbon but also prefabricated for quick, dry, and waste-minimized construction. The CLT slabs, visible as ceiling finishes, provide both structural strength and aesthetic warmth, reducing the need for additional cladding or labor.

By combining CLT prefabrication with a reinforced concrete base, SUMA Arquitectura achieves a balance between durability, efficiency, and architectural expression. The result is a housing complex that demonstrates how contemporary cooperative living can be both sustainable and socially innovative.

Our-Shelves Houses by SUMA Arquitectura represents a new paradigm in cooperative housing design. Through its emphasis on customization, prefabricated timber construction, and sustainable systems, it delivers a residential model that adapts to both community needs and ecological responsibility. More than just apartments, these homes function as repositories of memory and identity, tailored to reflect the individuality of each resident while reinforcing collective belonging.