Nouma was founded in 2016 by Luxembourger Emma Zimer to support elderly people in constructing their own participatory housing projects. She told Delano in an interview in 2018 that she felt there was a lack of choice in existing accommodation for the elderly. “It shouldn’t just be the choice between staying at home or moving into a care home,” she had said.

After several years of talks with developers and local communes, Nouma will soon begin on its first project. Zimer told architecture magazine Archiduc that she secured a large house with garden on the main road in front of the train station. At the same time, she has entered into an agreement with ecological housing developers Codur to transform the house into a co-living space with apartments on upper floors, common areas on the ground floor.

In the garden, it is planned to construct a perpendicular annex which would house most of the future apartments. Between 11 and 12 apartments, ranging in size from 47 to 87 square metres are planned.

“The project is still in its infancy, but we have an increasingly clear vision of what could be achieved,” Zimer told Archiduc, adding that architects Witry & Witry were working on the plans.

The house comes with a sizeable plot of land, part of which will be transferred to the commune. Zimer said she hoped it would be maintained as parkland, which would benefit the future residents of the project.

Zimer is now set on finding residents. She estimated the selling price at between €7,000 and €8,000 per square metre for private areas and support in construction and creating a colocation community. Planning permission is expected in May after which the works are expected to take around two years to complete.