One of Italy’s best-known contemporary architects is set to design a major new affordable housing development in Ibiza.

Stefano Boeri Architetti has been awarded the contract to prepare the building project and direct the future works for the development planned on plot 9 of Ca n’Escandell, where up to 197 protected homes for affordable rent are planned.

The project, known as “Sa Casa”, was selected as the winning proposal in an architectural competition involving 13 submissions.

The appointment is significant not only because of Boeri’s international reputation, but because the development is part of a much larger public housing operation that will eventually provide 532 affordable homes at Ca n’Escandell.

The project was selected from 13 architectural proposals

The competition was launched to find an architectural solution for the 5,505-square-metre plot.

A professional jury assessed 13 proposals according to architectural quality, suitability for the site and technical, economic, construction, environmental and social criteria.

The winning project, Sa Casa, received 95 points.

The jury praised its integration into the urban environment, particularly its approach to the site's uneven terrain and its decision to break the development into separate volumes rather than treating the homes as one large continuous block.

Two of the 13 proposals were excluded for being submitted after the deadline, while four projects reached the final stage of evaluation.

Up to 197 protected rental homes are planned

The Sa Casa development will occupy a 5,505-square-metre plot and is designed to accommodate up to 197 protected homes.

These homes will form part of the affordable public rental system rather than the conventional private housing market.

The development is particularly relevant to Ibiza’s ongoing housing shortage, where high rents, elevated property prices and limited long-term availability have made finding accommodation increasingly difficult for many residents and workers.

The Ca n’Escandell operation is intended to make a substantial contribution to increasing the island’s supply of affordable housing.

Ca n’Escandell will eventually have 532 affordable homes

Sa Casa is only one part of the wider Ca n’Escandell development.

The overall residential project is planned to provide 532 affordable homes across several plots, making it one of the most significant public housing developments currently being advanced in Ibiza.

The wider development is located on a former military site near Ibiza Town and forms part of a larger transformation of the area.

The 197 homes on plot 9 represent the largest individual residential parcel within the three main plots associated with this part of the development.

Four separate volumes instead of one huge block

One of the defining ideas behind Sa Casa is its layout.

Rather than placing all of the homes inside one continuous apartment block, the proposal divides the development into several volumes that respond to the slope of the site.

The jury specifically praised the controlled fragmentation of the buildings and the way the project uses the site's changing levels.

A covered central plaza is intended to become a key organising element, connecting the urban environment with a shared green area.

The arrangement is designed to create stronger relationships between the residential buildings, communal spaces and surrounding landscape.

Community spaces are at the centre of the design

The jury also highlighted the project's approach to collective areas.

Rather than treating shared outdoor areas as leftover space between buildings, Sa Casa places community life at the centre of the proposal.

The covered plaza and landscaped areas are intended to encourage interaction between residents and create a stronger sense of neighbourhood.

According to the jury's assessment, particular attention was given to the design of collective spaces as a way of supporting community relationships and improving quality of life.

Industrialised construction will form part of the project

The winning proposal also stood out for its approach to construction.

The jury highlighted an industrialised construction system using a load-bearing structure made from cross-laminated timber, known as CLT, together with prefabricated modules for the residential units.

CLT consists of layers of timber bonded together to form structural panels.

The use of prefabricated components can allow parts of a building to be manufactured away from the construction site before being transported and assembled on location.

The jury considered the approach capable of helping optimise construction times and reduce environmental impact.

The design responds to Ibiza’s climate

The winning project also incorporates specific measures intended to improve thermal comfort.

The façade is designed with timber panels, brise-soleil systems and integrated overhangs.

According to the jury, these elements are intended to regulate solar heat gain and prevent overheating during the island's warmer months.

This approach is particularly relevant to affordable housing in Ibiza, where keeping homes comfortable during increasingly hot summers is an important consideration.

An architect known for bringing vegetation into cities

Stefano Boeri is internationally recognised for architecture that incorporates vegetation and ecological principles into urban buildings.

His best-known project is Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, in Milan, two residential towers designed with extensive trees and plants integrated into the architecture.

Boeri has subsequently developed similar ideas in projects in different countries, exploring relationships between buildings, vegetation and urban biodiversity.

Sa Casa brings that design philosophy into a very different context.

Rather than a luxury landmark, the Ibiza project focuses on affordable public housing and shared residential space.

The greenery is intended to be functional

The landscape element is not simply decorative.

The winning proposal places green space between the residential buildings and incorporates vegetation into the communal areas.

The project is also designed around a strong relationship between architecture and landscape, with the open spaces helping organise movement through the development.

The broader intention is to create a residential neighbourhood where outdoor areas are part of everyday life rather than simply visual additions.

The project uses industrialisation without abandoning local character

One of the most interesting aspects of Sa Casa is the combination of modern construction methods with a design intended specifically for the Mediterranean environment.

Industrialised construction and prefabrication provide a contemporary response to the need to deliver affordable housing efficiently.

At the same time, the proposal incorporates elements such as shading, timber façades, communal outdoor areas and responses to the site's topography.

The result is intended to avoid the appearance of a generic housing development that could simply be replicated anywhere.

The winning project has not yet become a construction site

Despite the announcement of the winning design and the subsequent contract award, Sa Casa is still at the project-development stage.

Casa 47 awarded Stefano Boeri Architetti the contract on June 26, 2026.

The contract, worth €1,232,414 excluding VAT, covers preparation of the basic and execution projects as well as construction management. It has a stated duration of 50 months.

The 50-month period relates to the professional services contract, not to a confirmed move-in date for residents.

The actual construction works will require the corresponding future procurement and administrative stages.

The clock has not yet started for the full 50 months

The contract's 50-month period begins once the agreement is formally signed.

That distinction is important because the award itself does not mean that construction of the 197 homes has already begun.

Further technical development, administrative procedures and the process for contracting the construction works still have to take place.

The project is therefore moving forward, but residents should not expect the homes to become available immediately.

Why this matters during Ibiza’s housing crisis

The timing of the project is particularly significant.

Housing has become one of Ibiza's most pressing social and economic issues, with many workers and residents struggling to find homes that are affordable relative to local incomes.

Publicly supported rental housing is one of the main mechanisms available to administrations seeking to increase long-term housing supply.

The scale of Ca n’Escandell means that the development could make a meaningful contribution once the homes are completed.

The 532-home programme is intended to create a substantial new pool of affordable housing in the municipality.

Ca n’Escandell is already moving through different development stages

The wider development is being advanced through multiple plots and contracts rather than as a single construction project.

Casa 47 has been responsible for the public housing development on the relevant plots, while the wider Ca n’Escandell operation also includes housing involving the Balearic public housing system.

In May 2025, the then-SEPES public land agency announced tenders for the preparation of projects covering up to 362 affordable rental homes on plots 8 and 9, forming part of the 532-home development.

By 2026, separate professional contracts had been awarded for the different plots, allowing the project to progress in stages.

A project designed around the terrain

The site's slope was one of the main elements praised by the competition jury.

Rather than flattening the entire plot and imposing a conventional block arrangement, the winning design divides the development into different levels.

The jury considered this approach particularly successful because it allows the buildings to adapt to the topography while strengthening connections between the urban space and communal landscape.

That is important in Ibiza, where topography, climate and landscape strongly influence how residential developments interact with their surroundings.

What residents could eventually experience

Although the final construction details could still evolve during the technical design phase, the winning proposal establishes a clear direction.

Residents are expected to live in a development organised around multiple buildings, landscaped communal areas and a central covered plaza.

The use of CLT and prefabricated housing modules is intended to improve the construction process, while the façade design and shading systems respond to Ibiza's climate.

The project also puts a strong emphasis on communal spaces, suggesting that the development is being conceived as a neighbourhood rather than simply a collection of apartments.

An international name tackling a local problem

Stefano Boeri's involvement gives Ca n’Escandell an architectural profile that extends beyond Ibiza.

But the fundamental challenge facing the project is distinctly local.

The island needs more affordable long-term housing, and public authorities are under pressure to deliver homes at a time when land, construction costs and demand are all significant constraints.

Sa Casa attempts to address that challenge through a combination of public rental housing, industrialised construction, climate-conscious design and communal green space.

Whether the project ultimately achieves those ambitions will depend on the next stages of design, procurement, construction and management.

A potentially important new chapter for Ibiza housing

The selection of Stefano Boeri Architetti gives Sa Casa a distinctive starting point.

The project combines up to 197 affordable rental homes with CLT construction, prefabricated residential modules and a landscape-led design based around communal space.

It also forms part of a much larger 532-home affordable housing development that could become one of the most important additions to Ibiza's public housing stock.

For now, the project remains in development.

But as Ca n’Escandell moves closer to construction, Ibiza is getting a first look at a very different approach to affordable housing: one that attempts to make public homes not only more available, but also more adaptable, climate-responsive and connected to the landscape.

For an island facing an increasingly urgent housing challenge, that could make Sa Casa one of the developments to watch in the years ahead.