Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re: Re: "Making" Community

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

John Montague Massengale, AIA
Architect & Town Planner

You stated that "There is no such thing as a "scientific evaluation/research
report," because housing developments are never absolutely good and usually
not totally bad.
There is subjectivity in all judgements of them, including what questions are
asked and how they are asked."

Thank you for proving my point.You haven't done the required research--Jan
Gehl has--it's time for you to do some reading on the subject--its really all
there.There is a bank of 38 years of how to do it right and how to do it
wrong.Unfortunately, its done wrong most of the time.Have you contacted Jan
Gehl?

You asked me: "Please give one good reason why a Cost "Engineer" (reminds me
of Sanitation Engineers, are they professionally qualified and registered?)
is better qualified than the future homeowners to choose the architects."

Here is one reason.
Cost Engineers are tough bastards. If the client says that they wish to build
a cohousing project so that the complete cost of a unit (including land) is
$66,000.or under-- the Cost Engineer sitting in on the interviews, will quiz
the architects on their ability to meet the budget criteria--as well the
architect who is finally hired realizes that THIS time the project must be
under budget--because it has been made very clear that a design over the
budget will be rejected by the Cost Engineer and revised designs will be
continued to be rejected by the Cost Engineer til it comes in, on or under
budget.Only those designs that fall within the budget will be taken to the
clients for further review.Never again will people end up with projects that
come in 100% over budget.

Harry Pasternak
Thousand Islands Institute
The Independent Centre For Housing Research & Education
(Harry_Pasternak [at] tvo.org)