Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: architecture

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Peter Starr, Marsh Commons STARTRAK [at] REDWOOD.NORTHCOAST.COM 
is the author of the message below but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
****************  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS *********************

Response to Joyce Plath

>I don't think the critical issue is formal architectural training but
>experience at design and site planning surely must not be dismissed so
>easily.  To do it well  person or group needs more than a set of guidelines
>or principles. 

>work done by architects is terrific but I must say that most houses I see
>designed by owners or contractors lack good traffic patterns, solar
>orientation, creative solutions to lighting problems, appropriate site
>planning and much more.

I think that the key here is "design professionals".  It takes a lot of 
experience to utilize small parcels of land, to deal with a limited solar 
orientation in creative ways, and most especially, use design elements, such 
as paths, flows, gateways, and private, common, and public space to help in 
the creation of community.

Most conventional building design seems to be either motivated by the needs 
of the developer; to get the buildings okayed fast, built quickly, and sited 
for perusal from the passing automobile; or the need of the architect and 
the owner to "express" themselves; or of the owner to live out some 
rural-urban fantasy mix.  Rarely, if ever, is community and the incredibly 
complicated issues of "urban" (and by that I mean public) design even 
considered beyond the demands of local civic code -- which cares more about 
fire-truck access, and believe-it-or-not, potential nuclear war, then 
children's play areas, the commons, the green, public discourse, shared 
ownership and responsibility and community.  No wonder people feel 
alienated, angry and driven to consume.

These issues are probably not addressed much in conventional architecture 
courses.  I wouldn't be surprised if the architecture establishment (here's 
to a great 60's expression) spent one half of one semester dealing with it, 
just about the same amount of time that modern doctors spend on nutrition 
and exercise in med school.  In another words, in a linear educational 
system, it would be difficult to see the shrubs for the paths, if you're 
being trained to be the next corbusier.

There are probably some landscape designers, working with a good contractor, 
who would be be better suited to create a successful cohousing community 
than a lot of classically trained  architects.  Or go to your neighborhood 
permaculturist!

>In fact without
>my imput as a designer the site would never have been purchased because it
>took a practiced vision to see its transformation from a run down truck shop
>with a large gravel parking lot into a special place to live.

Kudos to Joyce!

Peter Starr, Marsh Commons
           Starr Track
We Track the Natural Products industry
  Peter Starr___________Sara Starr