Re: Design expertise or local architects | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: cynthia . e . carpenter (cynthia.e.carpenterus.arthurandersen.com) | |
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 18:47:58 -0600 (MDT) |
Cambridge Cohousing was mostly designed by a local architect working with one of our developer partners - who was and is very committed to cohousing, intended to live in the finished product and now does. I think there are a variety of opinions within the community about the pros and cons of this approach, but IMHO, it would have been better to use experienced cohousing architects. Having a local, member designer seemed like it would ensure congruence between the interests of the architect and the interests of the community, but it backfired in some ways we didn't anticipate. To this day, I resent some of the design decisions made because I believe they were made on the basis of our developer's personal preferences as a resident-to-be, not what was best for the community. This may or may not be true in fact, but be aware that you will probably have this kind of legacy among at least some of your membership if you choose a local or member architect. There are lots of conflicts you will have to resolve when you're living in cohousing - why add this issue to them? Also, near the end of the design phase, we asked Katie McCamant for a review of our design documents and, as Kate from Bellingham wrote, the value of prior cohousing design and experience was apparent. She was able to quickly see some programming issues that we hadn't anticipated and help us identify possible alternatives. On the positive side, our local developers had the experience and connections to effectively negotiate a complicated local real estate and permitting scene. For example, they recommended that we not purchase one parcel of land partly because of an aggressively anti-development neighborhood association, something that would have been hard to know about without local development experience. - Cindy Cambridge Cohousing *******************Internet Email Confidentiality Footer******************* Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer does not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.
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Design expertise or local architects Lydia & Ray Ducharme, October 17 1999
- Re: Design expertise or local architects NKaten947, October 19 1999
- Re: Design expertise or local architects cynthia . e . carpenter, October 19 1999
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