Housing the Basque Country Madrid

Madrid. Spain | 2019

Basque Government | Ministry of Public Works and Transportation

Housing the Basque Country presents the results of the Basque Government’s Housing Policy from 1981, when competences in housing were transferred to the Region, to the present day. The exhibition aims to succinctly and harmoniously present the various narratives hinging around public housing given that this area is undoubtedly one of those that encompasses the greatest array of social issues, from politics to architecture, from economics to production, from sociology to history and legal affairs. It naturally places those living in these homes at its center. Certainly, as it affects not only the way we understand homes, but also the way homes are obtained and produced, the way cities are generated, and, in short, the way in which wealth, progress and well-being are generated, public housing condenses society’s most important issues.

The exhibition includes thirty designs illustrating the development of public housing during the 1981-2018 period. The designs were chosen based on criteria such as design date, geographical distribution, location in both capital cities and small towns, architects and technical experts involved, type of development, the interest in terms of the typology and urban development, aesthetics, construction and sociology.

In parallel, the exhibition includes photography aiming to portray the social dimension and urban environment in the housing selected. Through photographs in different formats, the aim is to understand the urban activity that the designs on exhibit configure. Its spirit focuses on a realistic narration of the lives rooted in this type of residential settings.


Publications

Housing the Basque Country, 1981-2018 | 2018