Bamboo Housing in Carabanchel by Foreign Office Architects (FOA)

Almost 6.5 million people live Madrid’s metropolitan area, an estimated 17% being immigrants. In many European cities, the outrageous cost of real estate makes social housing a necessity and a costly burden. With Madrid’s gung ho “they come and we build it” attitude, the city has turned this situation into an opportunity by designing sustainable public housing that serves as an architectural blueprint for other cities with booming population growth.

FOA’s “advanced ecological technology” design focused on the two important elements of space and light. Their goal was to offer low-cost residences with the maximum amount of space and quality while simultaneously providing a façade that projected both uniformity, afforded by the bamboo louvers covering the entire structure, and a gradation of individual desires, afforded by the ability of each resident to open or close the louvers. The building itself is a 100 m x 45 m (approximately 328’-0” x 148’-0”) parallelogram that allows each unit a double orientation facing both East and West. The tube-esque apartments are 13.4 m long (approximately 44'-0”), with 1.5 m (approximately 5’-0”) terraces overlooking the local parks on both sides of the building.

While bamboo may be one of the latest trends in building materials, it also enjoys strong practical advantages. Particularly important in low-income housing, bamboo is an energy saver in every aspect. A bamboo exterior acts as a heat insulator in the winter and provides relief during the summer, as the natural canopy lets in light but protects the interior from the scorching Spanish heat. Bamboo also boasts soundproofing characteristics, valuable in this bustling city.

As part of the regeneration plan for the Carabanchel neighborhood, distinctive green areas are being implemented around the Social Housing building. In the main garden, the installation of a 7 m high (approximately 23’-0”) Air Tree is planned. Ecosistema Urbano Arquitectos have received many accolades for their Air Tree design, already the star structure of an eco-boulevard in Vallecas, a growing suburb of Madrid. Built with recyclable materials and topped with solar panels, the Air Tree is a hollow metal structure with a network of ivy plants, water sprays, and fans, all working together to remove carbon dioxide and purify the air. Air Trees are especially useful for newly developed parks that don’t yet have tall trees and, in this case, will act as a filter for clean air and provide a refuge of cooling shade for the main social center of the neighborhood.

Bamboo House in Carabanchel by Foreign Office Architects (FOA)