Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: design team

[patjavcc (patjavcc]

At Jamaica Plain Cohousing, (Boston MA) we had a design committee that worked 
with the architects on a regular basis.
 
But before that, the community met for three intense design workshop weekends 
where we programmed the Site, the Commonhouse and the Units.  (Mary and Laura 
from Kraus-Fitch architects led us through the programming phase and they are 
very skilled at this.)  Once our program was settled, the design committee 
would report to the general meeting (2x per month) about all aspects of the 
design process.  Two or three members of this committee also would meet with 
the architects in their offices for a standing meeting - I believe this was 
bi-weekly for 2 hours.
 
My advice to groups that are in this stage of development is to remember that 
eventually it won't be possible to be part of every decision.  Decide what is 
really important to you personally and join that committee.  If you are not on 
the design committee, then don't expect to be informed about every small 
decision (there will be millions) throughout the designing phase.  I learned to 
trust.  As a founding member of this group, where in the beginning I was in the 
center of 'everything', learning to trust was a very big lesson.  I never 
joined the design committee.  But our place is beautiful and they did a 
fantastic job.  
 
Patti Lautner
Jamaica Plain Cohousing, Boston MA
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Mlj45 [at] aol.com
To: cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org
Sent: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 20:29:01 EST
Subject: [C-L]_ design team


Hi, this is Lynne from Ulster County Cohousing in New York. We are in  the  
exciting phase of just beginning to work with our architect. We  are electing 
a  
"design team" to work directly with the architect.  
How have other communities delt with this phase of development? Has  any  
other group used a team of people to work with the architect? How  has it  
worked?
Thanks for your attention to this. Everyone is always  so  helpful.....


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