A commons in the making
Another way
to build.
And belong.
What if the places we live were shaped by all of us?
We’re bringing people, land and making together — to share skills, build collectively, and grow a more regenerative way of living.
Explore another way ↓
TOGETHER
↗
01 / THE IDEA
From being users of space,
to becoming its makers.
Access to land, tools and knowledge shapes what we can do. Too often, those resources sit beyond our reach — and the spaces where we gather and learn disappear.
Anotherway explores a cooperative alternative: a place where people can make, grow, exchange skills and care for shared resources. The aim is simple: put the capacity to shape our surroundings back in people’s hands.
02 / THE FIRST STEP
PROPOSED PROTOTYPE
A third space.
A hundred
possibilities.
Our first proposed intervention is a community-owned fabrication workshop: somewhere to build a table, learn a joint, share a meal, or begin something bigger.
Local timber, local metalwork and hands-on participation form the starting point. The workshop is intended to support shared infrastructure, livelihoods and a cooperative economy.
Explore the building system ↗Make
Tools and a shared workspace for building real things.
Learn
Practical knowledge passed from hand to hand.
Gather
A place for conversation, collaboration and community life.
A SYSTEM THAT CAN GROW
Start small.
Build what’s next.
The proposed timber system uses a repeating 2.4-metre module. Additional bays allow the space to expand in phases, bringing making, gathering and living into an adaptable framework.
Illustrative module study. Final dimensions and engineering are developed separately.
One shared beginning. Room to evolve.
03 / WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER
Shared ground.
Deep roots.
01 Stewardship of the commons +
Land, tools, knowledge and shared spaces are held for collective benefit. Participation is about care and responsibility; it does not confer individual ownership of land.
02 Grow with local communities +
Local farmers, artisans, carpenters and young people help shape the work. Non-displacement and local co-creation are central to the vision.
03 Participation beyond purchasing power +
The presentation proposes an 8+2 inclusion principle: two volunteer memberships alongside every eight paid memberships, with equal participation rights. Admission and membership remain subject to the Society’s bylaws.
04 Regeneration through practice +
Soil, water, biodiversity and human dignity are connected. The ambition is to restore living systems through thoughtful building, cultivation and everyday care.
05 Transparency, reciprocity and shared decisions +
Open processes, mutual support and participatory decision-making guide the community. The bylaws set out the Society’s formal governance and membership framework.
06 Knowledge that travels +
Learning happens by doing. Designs, manuals and practical lessons are intended to become resources that other communities can adapt to their own contexts.
PEOPLE AND PLACE
Not just a place to live.
A way to take part.
Rooted in a vision for Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, and informed by a design-build practice in Bangalore. Anotherway connects architecture, craft, ecology and the everyday work of community.
04 / WHERE WE COME FROM
Architecture, evolving
through participation.
Led by principal architect Alok Dsouza, the practice has moved from individual design-build projects toward a broader question: how can building support shared agency?
A+J Residence
Design and construction evolving together.
N+M Residence
Timber, rocky terrain and an adaptable response to place.
Anotherway
A cooperative framework for people, land and making.
05 / FIND YOUR WAY IN
Bring your curiosity.
And what you can share.
There are many ways to contribute to a commons. Explore where your interests meet the vision.
Opens your email app with an enquiry you can edit before sending. You can also write to anotherwaysociety@gmail.com.