Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: design review

[Marya S. Tipton (sundog]

Lydia and Ray,
We, as a group, are designing our project with Heartbeat Cities as our
consultants.
One couple in Hundredfold previously lived in Sharingwood cohousing, so they
have experience in the site design process. Also, my husband and I attended
the East Coast  Cohousing Conference in 1998 where we participated in a site
design workshop with cohousing architects, which really gave us an idea of
what the process is like. Heartbeat Cities co-sponsored the conference and
we are their first cohousing project, although they have a lot of experience
in construction management and the principles of "New Urbanism."
I think the important thing in dealing with consultants is their ability to
help you achieve YOUR vision, to help you interpret you scribbles and
scrawls and dreams into architectural concepts. Some people have this skill,
and others don't. I have even heard stories about "cohousing architects" who
basically discarded the group's vision on a particular project.
Cohousing experience is great, but the ability to facilitate group process
is even greater.
My husband was a draftsman for many years and over time learned to take a
picture that someone had scribbled on a napkin and turn it into a schematic
drawing. This Saturday, he and I are going to co-facilitate the initial
design process, or what is called "programming." Programming is getting the
group to visualize the community and brainstorm about the wants and needs of
the community, and then prioritize them. Then we start to lay out the
community according to that list of priorities. Finally, with the help of
architectural consultants, we determine the feasibility of that layout and
fine tune it until we arrive at the desired results.
We have to present our first concept drawing to the township at the end of
January, so this is going to be intense!
Wish us luck!
Marya Tipton
Hundredfold Farm,
Orrtanna, PA
http://users.desupernet.com/rhubarb
----------
>From: "Lydia & Ray Ducharme" <ducharm1 [at] cadvision.com>
>To: <sundog [at] gburgtimes.com>
>Subject: Re: design review
>Date: Thu, Dec 16, 1999, 4:26 AM
>

> Marya,
>
> Who are you using for the design of your project?  Were the Cohousing
> Company involved at all?  What have you heard about them?  Some members in
> our group think we can cut costs by using local architects only.  Our local
> architect doesn't have any actual cohousing experience although he has his
> "masters" in cohousing.
>
> Lydia
>

>> Originally, I had envisioned everyone having their own style house. Once we
>> realized that ordering in bulk, whether it be windows, plumbing fixtures or
>> even hiring a contractor, can really cut costs.
>>>From  my point of view, if someone in the community can afford to build a
>> home completely different from everyone else's, then they should go for it.
>> But it just makes sense to do as much as possible to reduce costs. People
>> can express their individuality in other ways, like exterior paint, trim and
>> landscaping.
>> Hope this helps,
>> Peace,
>> Marya
>> Hundredfold Farm
>> Orrtanna, PA
>>
>>
>>
>