resident participation in design | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: NKaten947 (NKaten947aol.com) | |
Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 18:34:02 -0600 (MDT) |
I wasn't able to send this out when this topic was on the list because I was in the process of moving, But because this was such an important part of our development, I wanted to add Bellingham Cohousing's experience to the list. Kate N. Nichols At Bellingham Cohousing we participated in the individual home programming. We tried doing it on our own, but we weren't successful. Then we hired The Cohousing Company to help us design our community. We really enjoyed the process. It was fun to sit down and discuss and dream about our houses with others who would live in our same house type. And we worked out designs that we felt would benefit all the other people who would live in that house type. It was also a good community building activity. It was our chance to add features that we might not have had otherwise. I enjoy having my young daughter, Emily, sitting at the kitchen counter while I'm cooking so she can help with the cooking or just talk to me while she draws; someone else wanted a small pantry in the kitchen; Mary emphasized the light that we need in our rainy climate. Chuck Durrett listened to our ideas and now we have pantries, "Emily's peninsula" in the kitchen and people walk into my house and comment on the wonderful light because of the additional windows. The design development was the fun part of the development process after all the legal work, the worry about marketing, figuring out a development strategy, a budget- it was fun to sit down and talk about & dream about the space we might live in. It is really a remarkable experience for me to walk into a village that I helped design. We discussed sitting in the common house looking out over the wetland and Chuckanut Mountains, and now I can do it. It is delightful to enter the community and discover the view - that we wanted to be surprised by. And to sit out on our porches on a sunny day & chat with people as they walk by. And we've already had our first dance in the common house - on the good, danceable floor that we wanted. The architects added features that enhanced our dreams. Katie McCamant did a wonderful job with our common house. It is warm and inviting. The great room has wonderful acoustics and is light and spacious. It is more than I ever dreamed of. We let Chuck choose the colors and our village is vibrant with color: pine green, dark yellow and barn red, with cedar shake on top. It is wonderful to be surrounded by so much color on gray days. I think it really helps in marketing to be able to explain why a house has a certain feature and to understand the value of our homes. I also think that participating in the design process helps people become invested in the project. We also used the individual house programming as a level of commitment and we had one household drop out, but others joined at that point so they could participate in the workshop. It was a privilege to work with Katie McCamant and Chuck Durrett. The experience that they brought to our project was invaluable. Katie was instrumental in moving us forward in the development of our project. Her knowledge and expertise helped the group make decisions in one evening that we had been struggling with for a year-and-a-half. In addition she helped us face the realty of what we could afford. And Chuck put his heart and soul into our project. We can feel the caring that he brought to our project. He fought for the quality that we wanted. He listened to our ideas and made them a reality. Both of them worked hard for our project with great integrity. Bellingham Cohousing is almost complete. We are waiting for some sunny weather to finish the exterior painting. And people are waiting with trowels and shovels to plant after the topsoil is spread. We still have two three-bedroom homes for sale and one larger two bedroom. If you'd like to come visit us, please email Kate @ nkaten947 [at] aol.com. Larry Menninga Kathleen Heft Gretchen Waldenberg Angus and Rommie McLane Nancy Simmers Mark Harfenist Bill Hinely Lesley Rigg Marinus Van de Kamp Paula Gilmour David Longdon Celie Lloyd Anne Larson Casey Even though I wasn't here for the initial planning it is helpful for me to know that BCG members were instrumental in the design process and tell me how things came to be the way they are today. Carol Butz Kate N. Nichols, for Bellingham Cohousing
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Resident Participation in Design Danny Milman, April 13 2000
- resident participation in design NKaten947, May 26 2000
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