Description

The Bofaellesskabet Lange Eng, born out of the Cohousing tradition, was completed in 2008 by architect Dorte Mandrup.[1] A group of the current residents came together as early as 2004, holding regular discussions about collective living, visiting other projects, and discussing the potential for their own collective living project.[2] The idea eventually materialized in Albertslund, amid other residential developments just outside Copenhagen on the edge of the settlement area. The complex consists of 54 condominiums that house over 200 residents and enclose the green courtyard like a perimeter block, with communal gardens, fruit trees, playgrounds, and seating in the center.[3] Each individual apartment is directly connected to this courtyard.

A two-story community house is located at one corner of the perimeter block, with a communal kitchen, large dining room for around 100 people, and toilets on the ground floor. There are various workshops upstairs, along with a playroom for children, a cinema, and a lounge area with tea kitchen and small library. The core of collective life consists of cooking and dining together, offered at the community house six evenings a week. The Bofaellesskabet Lange Eng is self-operated and self-organized, with owners expected to be involved in one of the working groups.[4] As a result, work such as the daily cooking or caretaking of the courtyard is performed not by employees but by residents, with the goal of strengthening their sense of community.

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Originally published in: Susanne Schmid, Dietmar Eberle, Margrit Hugentobler (eds.), A History of Collective Living. Forms of Shared Housing, Birkhäuser, 2019. Translation by Word Up!, LLC, edited for Building Types Online.