CoLab: Community-led housing and sustainable transitions
CoLab: Community-led housing and sustainable transitions
October 10 @ 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
European capitals are enduring a severe housing crisis that affects its inhabitants and climate. The EAA estimates that 75% Europeans lives in cities – increasing to 80% by 2050. Now, 75% of those inhabitants lives in build environment that is energy inefficient. Furthermore, rentals are soaring: OECD estimates that, over the last decade, the average rent has doubled in many European countries including Spain.
However, in recent years, cities like Barcelona have gained international momentum for an emerging model of public, community-led partnerships.
For this Collaboration Lab (CoLab) on Friday 10 October and in partnership with holon, we will explore such model by visiting two internationally awarded projects in Barcelona: La Borda and BLOC4. We’ll also discuss with key players of the local ecosystem how this transformation is happening in practice, from green construction to finance and policies that promote the emergence of such locally led innovations.
This CoLab is just the beginning. Over the coming three years, Climate KIC Community, will convene public and private stakeholders, researchers and innovators to ignite a new movement to explore systemic climate solutions and collaborate to scale and pace their implementation.
Join us if you’re ready to future-proof your organisation and collaborate with like-minded organisations and innovators.
Agenda
9.30 – 10.00: Welcome & coffee at Bloc4
With Adria Garcia I Mateu, Holon & Magnus Harrison, Climate KIC
10.00 – 11.00: Visit to La Borda
11.15 – 11.45: Visit to BLOC4
12.00 – 12.30: Keynote: The emerging Catalan community led housing model
With Adrià Garcia I Mateu, Partner at Holon & Designer involved in cooperative housing policy co-production processes
12.30 – 13.15: Round table discussions
Building sustainable and holistic buildings & communities
With Cristina Gamboa, Co-founder of Lacol, professor and architect of La Borda and other housing cooperatives.
Advancing Housing Policies for a just transition
With Eduard Cabré Romans, Housing policy consultant and advisor of Barcelona City Council & member of CitiES platform
Innovating Finance to benefit environment and social good
With Blanca Rincon de Arellano, Associate – City Finance Specialist at The Investment Bank for Earth, Bankers without Boarders
13.15 – 13.45: Gathering of insights, reflections & next steps
With Adria Garcia I Mateu, Holon & Magnus Harrison, Climate KIC
13.45 – 15.00: Lunch and networking
About Climate KIC Community CoLabs
Climate KIC is hosting four Collaboration Laboratories (CoLabs) in the fall of 2025. At our CoLabs, we engage public and private stakeholders across value chains in our effort to connect climate demand with innovative business solutions. We’ll dive into a series of topics:
- Beyond the legacy of Deep Demonstration Slovenia. Ljubljana (Slovenia), 11 September 2025
- Accelerating Blue & Green Economy in Europe’s Coastal Communities. Cagliari (Italy), 2 October 2025
- Community-led housing & sustainable transitions: The case of Barcelona. Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), 10 October 2025
- Advancing green public-private partnerships: The case of Poland and beyond. Warsaw (Poland), 22 October 2025
The Community CoLabs are supported by the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
About Holon
We are research and design studio from Barcelona building community led futures. We have more than ten years of experience connecting the macro systemic dynamics of problems with the micro and material dimension of design solutions. We have been working with local and international public, private and social organisations in a wide range of key sectors for just transitions such as housing, energy, food, care or water among others.
