The company Haibu 4.0 wrote a tweet on May 14 at the Bilbao Arena in Bilbao. Report that it expands its offer to occupy a room in its first hive in Bilbao: “Inscriptions activated for the hive in Bilbao. Number of residents 85”. The link to the portal Ideal.com follows the message. But by clicking on it, you can read that the ad is erased.

It is not the only hive that the company has planned in Bilbao. ARGIA has obtained information from people interested in renting a room. Some have called the company for information. As they have been told, Haibuk intends to build a number of hives. One in the vicinity of the airport, three or four in the centre and another in a village 20 kilometers from Bilbao. Total capacity for 600 people. The company is in the process of buying land. They were informed that the modules are in stock, that once the agreements are closed they are installed in 15 days, as they are prefabricated houses.

Prohibited in Barcelona, authorised in Bilbao?

Haibuk has hives in several cities in the Spanish state, such as Seville, Madrid or Barcelona. In Catalonia these buildings have sparked quite a lot of controversy. The City Council of the City of Barcelona has banned prisons by considering that the minimum conditions for living are not met. However, the company has launched several hives in the Catalan capital illegally, including the so-called "coworking", which aims to promote economic growth.

The company guarantees the authorization of the City of Bilbao. Asked about the situation in Barcelona, Haiti has linked the obstacles that have been put to Haiti with the corruption that prevails in the City Hall. That "they have not gone through the ring", that the company "has not given the City Hall what it wants", and that the prohibition is the consequence of it. Haibuk invites interested parties to address directly to the City Council of Bilbao in the light of any doubts that may arise as to whether the hive is authorised.

Rooms of three square meters

The hive model is based on small and cheap rooms. 2.2 meters long by 1.2 meters wide and 1.2 meters high, where the bed is introduced and give no option to stand. In addition to private rooms, there are common spaces: kitchen, bathrooms and lounge. Theoretically useful, but taking into account what is seen in different information and reports, it can be questioned. For example, in the report of the web Vice.

Haibuk says that, with social language, it offers "a temporary solution" to expensive housing prices. It says it builds “sustainable” housing that allows people to “live dignified and save”. The rooms in Barcelona cost between 200 and 250 euros per month. “I have been told that those in Bilbao will be between 150 and 200 euros, depending on the size of the hives.”

Haibuk seeks a type of client: a precarious “native” worker. Precarized yes, not totally discarded. The conditions for renting are clear: six years of residence in the autonomous community in which the hive is located; between 450 and 1,500 incomes; between 22 and 63 years; and without a criminal record.

Many enemies

Many accuse Haiburi of deepening the commodification of housing and taking advantage of the situation of the precarious. The company has also been a point of protest and direct action, especially in Catalonia and Barcelona. In January there was an attack on the exposure of a hive in Barcelona. In February, a demonstration was held against hive floors in the Sants neighborhood.

In March the youth movement Arran opposed a clandestine hive of l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, breaking crystals and painting “against the commodification of the housing”. Haibuk explained to one of the interested parties that the demise of the announcement on the Bilbao hive Idealista.com is the result of the sabotage of the opposing citizens (the idealist portal says the announcement has been removed by the "announcing company"). The Barcelona City Council maintains the ban on hives, even though the company has gone to court. Will they be installed in Bilbao?