Lecture by Hubert Lionnez (Karbon') at the Festival of Ideas in Madrid

As part of the Festival de las Ideas in Madrid, the Brussels-based office Karbon’ Architecture et Urbanisme has been invited to take part in a conference addressing the contemporary challenges of architecture and urbanism in a context marked by the housing crisis, climate emergency, and growing social tensions.

During this exchange, Hubert Lionnez, cooperative architect at Karbon’, will share his expertise alongside Iñaki Alonso, CEO of Distrito Natural and sAtt. The session will be moderated by Cristina Mateo, Vice Dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design.

New forms of collective housing

The conference will explore how to combine cooperative housing models and new forms of collective ownership with an architectural practice rooted in the existing fabric: its materials, structures, and the social realities that shape place.

Through planning that is attentive to both social and physical context, the session will reflect on the importance of integrating the full life cycles of materials, responsible construction techniques, and collaborative processes that strengthen the sense of belonging and shared responsibility. Thinking architecture over the long term, across scales yet rooted locally, opens up possibilities for new ways of living—based not on replacement, but on continuity.

This dialogue invites us to approach the architectural project as a form of collective commitment: to the environment, to its inhabitants, and to those who build it.