Cohousing-L Mailing List: Making Good Designs

[BPaiss (BPaiss]

Harry,

All this banter back and forth regarding home design has gotten me very
confused.  My experience is that some architects are very good and some are
not.  Some take into account the needs of the user and some design soley to
satisfy their ego's.  

The beauty in the CoHousing model is that rarely if ever are the architects
or designers working on their own.  They have a great deal of guidance
(somethimes too much and sometimes not enought)  from the resident user
group.  IMHO the CoHousing designs which have been completed are a
collaborative effort between trained professionals and the user group.  This
concept is IMHO what the CoHousing process is all about.  People coming
together to create a better living environment.  As my friend and consensus
mentor Caroline Estes has stated "Everyone holds a piece of the truth." and I
feel this certanly holds true when it comes to the creation of CoHousing
communities.

Thanks for the thought provoking conversations.

In Collaboration,

Bill Paiss
Nyland