Social and participatory housing

 Mascobado is a participatory housing community of 23 families that has been inhabited since 2016 in the heart of Montpellier. Bioclimatic buildings, affordable housing, and a sense of community are the hallmarks of this pioneering collective.

Originally, a group of future residents came together around a building lot to define their housing project: plans, financing, construction, and future operation.  The result is a highly professional project… yet led by “amateurs.” Twenty-three personalized homes, designed with great diversity, are now distributed across two new bioclimatic buildings.  It is therefore no surprise that MasCobado is the acronym for “Maison coopérative bâtie avec douceur” (Cooperative House Built with Care).  It is also the name of an unrefined cane sugar that may also evoke the name of the street where the residence is located (rue de la réglisse).

MasCobado’s ambitions are many: to build a friendly and supportive neighborhood, accessible to all, at a lower cost, and respectful of the environment. These ambitions are shared by many participatory housing projects.  ADEME Languedoc-Roussillon decided to get a clearer picture and commissioned the consulting firm ADRET, in cooperation with CERFISE, to conduct a 48-month evaluation study.  A multidisciplinary team composed of an economist, an environmentalist, and a sociologist will objectively assess whether participatory housing is actually less expensive (particularly in daily life),  whether the project delivers on its promises in terms of environmental quality, and whether residents are happier thanks to the living environment they have designed together. 

A project in the Grisettes ZAC in western Montpellier

Program drafted by the future residents

- 23 housing units, including 5 social rental units and 9 rent-to-own units

- Homes customized to residents’ needs

- Two small 2-story buildings

- Small private gardens for ground-floor units, terraces or large balconies for upper-floor units

- Bioclimatic, energy-efficient design (BDM approach, Sustainable Mediterranean Building, design phase level: Gold)

- Shared facilities: Common room with kitchen

- DIY workshop, laundry room

- 3 guest rooms

- Outdoor recreational areas, vegetable garden, relaxation area, communal terrace.

- Bicycle and car parking

- Storage spaces