Re: Common house use
From: cynthia . e . carpenter (cynthia.e.carpenterus.arthurandersen.com)
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 09:17:18 -0700 (MST)

Rowena wrote about Cambridge Cohousing:
>>>
The living room, however, is underutilized.  It's quite a pretty room - lots
of light, a fireplace, and an eclectic but clean and comfortable collection
of furniture from residents' "extras."  We also have a grand piano, fish
tank, plants, an excellent supply of magazines (from shared individual
subscriptions), and a wonderful collection of artwork created by community
members.
..
The space remains underutilized,
however, and don't know if we'll ever have people using it as a place to drop
by.
...
 What brings folks to Commonhouse?
Food:-^)    The mail room is there as are the many notice boards. decision
board and community calendar.   The most lively part is the "white board"
which has a constantly changing stream of information, questions and
comments.
Does doing/not doing laundry there matter  >>
Unfortunately, our laundries are not designed for socializing, although there
are certainly discussions which take place in the area over folding and
ironing.
>>>

If I had to do it over again, I would design the mailboxes along one wall or
corner of the living room, with daily white board and bulletin boards in the
same area, too.  The white board and mailboxes bring people in every day, and I
believe that if a chair or couch were just a step or two away and visually
accessible, more folks would end up sitting down to read their mail, and then
chatting.  Going out of the mail room, into the next room, turning on another
set of lights, etc. is too much of a barrier.  I would also put the laundry room
right next door, so that you passed through the living room area on your way to
other things... which would encourage laundry users to hang out and take a break
while waiting for the next load.

Rowena didn't mention that we also designed large foyers into each floor of the
common house (we have five apartments on each of the upper three levels of the
common house).  These are barely used.  Everyone passes through them, but
there's no reason at all to stay there and socialize, and no one does, even with
parts of our library collections and nice furnishings on each floor.  Perhaps if
we had dutch doors for the front doors of the apartment that would change?

- Cindy, also of Cambridge Cohousing

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