Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Exit Signs and Other Ugly Things

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 11 Mar 2012, at 7:06 AM, R Philip Dowds wrote:

> Not quite sure what actually happened here, but in general the "systems 
> people" do not really come in after the architects are "finished".  In terms 
> of both design logic and construction sequence, a building is an integrated 
> assembly, and …

You know that and I know that, but……

For developing communities, this is one of the reasons you want to 
limit/eliminate customization. The whole process is so complex and so many 
different people are involved that you don't want to do anything to make it 
more complex.

> Did you put the design out for competitive bid ... and then take the low 
> bidder?

We had a developer. We had a Design Team. The architect blamed the construction 
contractor and the construction contract blamed the architect. The developer 
was new to cohousing and subsequently has developed other communities more 
successfully in terms of the structural stuff.

One thing that might be helpful to new communities — the process of advising 
back and forth on new technologies and new ways of doing things can throw 
everyone off base because each one can trust that the other one knows what they 
are doing. People accept new ideas that they can't themselves confirm, but the 
fact that they are accepted feels like confirmation. It's a hard process to do 
something sort of new but not exactly.

> \Exit signs are not optional, they are required by the egress and life safety 
> codes.  Some signs are more elegant than others.

What I'm looking for are the "more elegant" ones. What is exactly required? 
Everyone seems to be showing exactly the same signs. Is the standard height and 
width required everywhere?

> * At Cornerstone, client/architect disputes forced the founders to change 
> architects in mid-stream.  And extreme litigation and permitting expenses 
> swallowed up a lot of money, compelling design compromises and selection of a 
> low-bidder contractor.  There were consequences.

This sank a community in Florida. The architect came in 2 years late with 
designs that were woefully wrong, just wrong. Doors that couldn't be opened 
because there were walls on the other side was the the worst. Then the 
engineers looked at it and said it would cost billions to construct because it 
would require steel beams — in a two story structure because he had specified 
hurricane-proof blocks to be used to make cupolas on top of the buildings 
Victorian Key West style.

The architect wanted another $20,000 or something like that to fix the plans. 
Which would mean more engineering costs.

GOOD ADVICE from Gilda Iriarte who used to do the financial stuff for the 
Cohousing Company. Ask bankers for referrals to architects, developers, etc. 
Because they are on the money end of things and see projects succeed and fail 
everyday, they know who consistently brings in projects on time and within 
budget. Interview bankers.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org