Colmeia62 is a housing cooperative with collective land ownership in Zambujal, Mafra, developing an ecovillage rooted in permaculture and cooperative governance. Its architectural project, currently under municipal review, was co-designed with residents through participatory workshops.
Colmeia62 is a housing cooperative (Cooperativa Habitacional em Propriedade Coletiva) based in Zambujal, in the Mafra municipality near Ericeira, Portugal. The group describes itself as more than a place to live: a living experiment in systemic change, built by families, couples, single people and retirees who work as engineers, journalists, nurses, doulas, military personnel and architects.
The cooperative's story stretches back to 2014, with a formal relaunch process beginning in 2020. Members visited ecovillages in France in September 2021, and the search for land ran from January 2021 to May 2022 before they settled on their current site. The architectural design was developed with architect Ricardo Morais and his team at Black Polar Bear, through participatory workshops that shaped a habitat meant to be durable, evolving and regenerative, drawing on permaculture principles. That project is now submitted to the Mafra municipal council for licensing.
Day-to-day organisation runs through several internal working commissions: MEL (monetary and legal matters), Pepitas (communication), Coração (human relations), Ninho (construction), Semear (permaculture) and DancingBees (celebrations). Membership and land are held collectively, with the cooperative's legal and financial structure kept separate from individual ownership, a model designed to keep the community protected from speculation.
Colmeia62 runs periodic Open Days at Enraizar, the former primary school in Lagoa, where visitors bring a picnic lunch and hear a presentation about the project. In 2024 the cooperative launched a crowdfunding campaign on PPL to purchase a neighbouring forest plot, intending to keep it as a protected, community-managed space rather than see it logged or developed.
Our Goal
Colmeia62 is building a housing cooperative with collective land ownership in Zambujal, near Mafra and Ericeira, creating an ecovillage inspired by permaculture principles. The project aims to regenerate the local territory and human relationships through cooperative living rather than speculative real estate.
Our Wishes
The project is raising funds through a PPL crowdfunding campaign to buy an adjoining forest plot and protect it from exploitation. It also welcomes new members, volunteers and supporters willing to contribute time, skills or donations to the cooperative.
