Cohousing-L Mailing List: Statistics on common house usage

[Janey Harper (jkharper]

Hi,

First question:

I'm currently working on a project that will be built in Sechelt BC.  The
designer/developer I'm working with would like to see some statistics on how
much the community kitchen/dining room/lounge area REALLY gets used in
cohousing communities.

Could anyone help me find such statistics?

 

Chuck Durrett has always posited that communities sharing meals 3-4 times a
week are more connected, so my goal is a K/DR/L space large enough to allow
for the entire community to be together in comfort for meals 3-4x a week,
and for all other whole community gatherings.  We're guessing a population
of 40-50.

 

Second question:

My designer/developer is suggesting that 1200 square feet is adequate for
the K/DR/L common amenities space (+ bathroom).   The 1200 sq. fit is within
an 18' x 66' rectangle, with windows/doors/patio doors along one of the 18'
sides.  I think we should "take over" the unit next door and design this
part of the common amenities along a, twice-as-wide, 36' side with twice the
view and exterior ground access.   This would give us a total of 1825 square
feet and allow us to use the extra interior space for ..???

 

Would appreciate any feedback/comments.

 

Janey

The Coastal Village