In an austerity-hit Spain, where around 500,000 new buildings remain empty, “people do things their way”, says Santiago Cirugeda, a subversive architect from Seville who has dedicated his career to reclaiming urban spaces for the public. “In times of crisis, people come together to find collective solutions”.

With his deep knowledge of urban planning legislation, Cirugeda is not afraid to “occupy”, or squat, abandoned spaces, using his understanding of the law to facilitate community-based construction.
“Self-building is not legalized in Spain, so any architect facing this issue has to take on civil and criminal responsibilities”, he says, referring to the logistical challenges he faces while working outside the law.

Ana Naomi de Sousa, Al Jazeera, 2014, 25', Original version in Spanish

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