Rooftop Ruralities
Technological and cultural progress has always been accompanied by moments of crisis. The concentration of people within urban environments is essential for social and economic development, yet it inevitably generates an increasing demand for resources. Today, land and housing have become some of the most limited and contested resources in contemporary cities, while their demand continues to rise.
Throughout history, cultural and technological centers have continuously attracted people, who in turn contribute to further development. This process generates more population growth, more infrastructure, greater demand, and progressively less available space. The housing crisis remains one of its most logical consequences of the endless cycle of urbanization.
Despite continuous advancement, the response to this problem remains unchanged: increasing density, shrinking living spaces, reducing access to greenery, and compromising essential qualities of everyday life. Many architectural solutions focused primarily on logistics often prove unsustainable, resembling rationalist dystopias rather than natural human habitats.
Problem Statement
One of the most significant factors contributing to human happiness is the social environment. Sense of belonging, and personal significance within society are often far more important than material or architectural conditions. In many ways, the people surrounding us constitute the most essential part of our context.
Loneliness and absence of meaningful social connection in large cities strongly influence the perception of urban life. This is the primary issue that “rooftop ruralities” seeks to address.
As urban environments become increasingly complex, a simple but yet bold vision emerges: the idea of waking up at sunrise above the city skyline, only steps away from a garden where fruits and vegetables are cultivated and shared with family and friends. This idea forms the foundation of “rooftop ruralities”.
Concept
Rooftop Ruralities aims to create small communities connected through the shared care of cultivated natural spaces, similar to the social dynamics in rural environments. The central challenge is achieving this without sacrificing the opportunities and advantages offered by large cities.
To address this, the project utilizes existing rooftops (naturally separated from the urban ground plane) as spaces for the creation of new social environments within the city itself. The inhabitants of this elevated ecosystem are given the freedom to determine the scale of their social ambient at any moment.
Location
The rooftop, often referred to as the “fifth façade”, remains an underutilized space in many buildings, despite its importance within Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Modern Architecture. In cities such as Madrid, rooftops account for more than 60 km² of potential space that could become a significant part of the city’s green and social politics without consuming additional land - one of the city’s most valuable resources.
Transforming the fifth façade would not only create new communal environments but also improve the thermal insulation and thermal inertia of existing buildings. At the same time, it would offer residents the possibility of walking above the city skyline while surrounded by vegetation and open green spaces.
Case Study Context
The project is situated on the rooftop of the modernist housing complex “Complejo Residencial del Parque Calero”, commonly known as “Las Colmenas de Madrid”. The site is emblematic for the metropolis, but could be in many other urban contexts.
The housing estate was originally constructed for families displaced from La Ventilla, a settlement inhabited largely by migrants from rural regions of Spain. Their relocation resulted from the expansion of the boulevard “Paseo de la Castellana”, one of the principal urban axes of the capital. In this sense, the project symbolically reconnects the city with the rural identities that once contributed to its growth.
Situation
The site organization consists of alternating vegetable gardens and lawns, each paired with a compact residential unit. Vegetation plays the primary role in shaping the architectural atmosphere, while only a limited number of predefined architectural elements — the housing units — are introduced.
This approach creates the perception of a rural landscape above the skyline. One of its principal advantages is the reduced ecological and economic impact of the intervention, making it suitable for social housing models that actively involve residents in the formation and evolution of the architectural environment.
Modular Residential Unit
Each dwelling occupies less than 25 m² and is composed of three structural modules measuring approximately 2.70 × 2.70 meters. The structural logic defines the three principal domestic zones: a private and convertible area for sleeping and working; a service zone containing the entrance, bathroom, and storage; and a semi-private living space integrating the kitchen and living room. A key aspect of the functional organization is the universal proportioning of the spaces, allowing them to accommodate a wide variety of uses according to the inhabitants’ personal needs.
Structure and Façade
The housing units are constructed using glued laminated timber frames and cross-laminated timber floor slabs. The lightweight structural system improves transportation, installation, and construction efficiency while also reducing the building’s environmental impact throughout its carbon cycle.
The envelope is designed primarily to respond to Madrid’s climate and to minimize overheating. Carefully dimensioned roof overhangs provide shade during summer while allowing sunlight and passive heating during winter. The roof and façade are primarily composed of insulated aluminum panels that reduce solar heat gain.
The main façade incorporates three large openings equipped with adjustable and foldable exterior blinds, allowing inhabitants to regulate overheating, excessive light exposure, and privacy.
Interior
The interior emphasizes the exposed timber structure, which acts as a spatial separator between the three functional zones. The entire dwelling is organized on a single level in order to maintain a continuous relationship with the exterior space and eliminate physical barriers between the main areas.
An important element of the functional solution is the convertible bed-desk furniture. Through lifting and lowering of the bed, the atmosphere and use of the room are completely transformed, allowing the primary domestic functions to be fully accessible from floor level.
Materials
The housing unit is primarily composed of aluminum, timber, and glass. The criteria for material selection are directly influenced by the specific context of the case study — the rooftop of an existing residential block in Madrid.
The chosen materials are lightweight, prefabricated, easy to transport, and suitable for dry construction methods, which is essential from both logistical and feasibility points of view. The strong solar exposure of the site also requires durable and reflective materials capable of reducing heat absorption.
The construction techniques are intentionally simple and standardized in order to reduce economic impact and enable forms of self-construction (a symbolic connection with the historical social housing politics of in Spain during the mid-20th century). The dry construction system also allows relatively easy assembly and disassembly of the housing units, as well as the potential reuse of building materials.
Result
Rooftop Ruralities envisions a new form of urban living that combines the qualities of rural and metropolitan life within a single environment. The project seeks to reconnect inhabitants with nature, cultivate a stronger sense of belonging, and create spaces capable of supporting meaningful social relationships, while remaining embedded within the opportunities and infrastructure of the contemporary city.
That way the rooftop becomes more than unused space: it becomes a new urban horizon for collective life above the density and noise of the metropolis.
