Located at 3902 Castelli Street, this project is the result of a collaboration between the Proyecto Habitar organization of architects and urban planners and COOPTEBA SM/3F, a housing cooperative of education workers from the Province of Buenos Aires, San Martín and Tres de Febrero. In a world where inequalities in access to urban goods and services affect the lives of many people, the authors of the project have worked collectively and interdisciplinary to address social and spatial injustice. In the current context of urban production in our region, access to housing is a privilege that not everyone can access, as is the case of teachers, who spend 50% of their salary on rent. The cooperative management model promoted goes beyond traditional limits and offers a viable alternative, building collaborative and social ties.

The Collective Housing project is the result of a collaboration between the architects' collective Proyecto Habitar and the education workers' housing cooperative COOPTEBA SM/3F. Together they developed a housing proposal in San Martín, a municipality in the AMBA in Argentina. For several years, they participated in meetings and debates on the right to housing and the city. The idea for the common project arose from the need to create a housing production process that would incorporate the collective values that both groups have promoted and defended for so long.

The elaboration of the project required multiple meetings to agree on the spatial program. Its orientation is based on the use value of space, promoting social encounter through the creation of spaces for activities of various scales, sizes and configurations. The location of the housing is characterized by a regular block layout with low-density buildings, and has basic services and public transportation nearby.

The general volumetry of the project is developed in two housing blocks. On the municipal line there is a block with eight units, with an open first floor, three floors and an accessible terrace on the top level for recreational activities overlooking the street. The block at the back has a ground floor and three stories, and contains the remaining ten units. The layout of the blocks allows the formation of an open courtyard, guaranteeing good sunlight and ventilation.

The main circulation of the complex and the accesses to the dwellings are located towards the courtyard, generating a succession of spaces of different scales that are related from the street to the access to the housing units. The access staircase is open and on each level the horizontal flight of stairs widens, creating common balconies that allow for other activities. The 18 dwellings have different configurations, with one-, two- and three-bedroom units, also allowing for progressive reconfigurations.

To address the flexibility of the spaces, the partition walls of the structure are located on the facades, leaving a minimum of punctual supports in the interiors, on bathroom and kitchen walls. This arrangement allows for greater adaptability and efficient use of space, according to the changing needs of the residents.