Kraus-Fitch Architects provides workshops for each of four critical aspects of cohousing community design: Visioning, Site, Common House and Unit Design. Using workshops can be an effective way to streamline the design process, by bringing everyone together at critical phases. Workshops serve to educate groups about cohousing design features, focus creative energy, and facilitate efficient decision making.
Each of our workshops is designed to mesh with and inform the overall design process whether Kraus-Fitch Architects are serving as the full service architects or as cohousing consultants. These workshops are advocated by Cohousing Resources (a cohousing development consulting firm) as an integral element in the “streamlined development method”.
By incorporating workshops in the design process, groups can take advantage of the cohousing expertise that we offer in a cost effective and efficient manner.
Through guided visualization and participatory process, we create an environment in which people can discover and develop their own ideas and aspirations. We help groups to find common ground while celebrating their diverse design preferences. Our approach involves active listening and a deep respect for our client’s needs and character. Our goal is to reach a design that is a direct reflection and integration of the group’s ideas.
After each workshop, we produce a written summary of the weekend’s work, draft a design program, and develop schematic design drawings.
More detailed information about the workshops is listed below, but please keep in mind that each workshop is tailored as requested to each group’s specific needs and preferences.
Typical Visioning Workshop
In a visioning workshop the typical role of Kraus-Fitch architects is to help your group write a vision statement that will not only help the marketing effort by attracting new members, but will inform the overall design effort that will be following in the months ahead. Getting clear on priorities up front can help groups stay on track later on.
Through various small and large group exercises, we help you list goals for the project, define and prioritize them.
A visioning workshop can typically be run in a single day. It may present an opportunity to include an educational slide show as described below in the longer weekend design workshops.
Typical Site Programming Workshop and Schematic Design
A weekend site programming workshop is usually run by both Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch. We begin with a Friday evening slide show, followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred site layout patterns and imagery.
Typical Common House Programming Workshop and Schematic Design
Our services typically include a weekend common house programming workshop run by Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch. We begin with a Friday evening slide show, followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred common house functions, relationships, and imagery.
Typical Unit Programming Workshop and Schematic Design
Unit programming workshops are designed to help groups decide on 3-5 standard housing units that work for their needs, the site, and the local market. These workshops are typically run by Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch, beginning Friday evening with a slide show, and followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred unit layouts, relationships of interior spaces, and imagery for exterior and interior design.
Typical Eco-Programming Workshop
Eco-programming workshops are designed to help make early decisions about the sustainable design strategies. It is hard to go back and correct plans that do not take green design into account from the beginning. We help groups define and priority strategies, and determine which methods will give them the biggest sustainable advantage for their money.
An Eco-Programming workshop can typically be run in a single day. It may present an opportunity to include an educational slide show as described above in the longer weekend design workshops.
What is specifically included in a weekend workshop?
Each of the Programming and Design Workshops listed above typically includes most of the following items:
Homework:
Having run numerous weekend participatory design workshops for cohousers, we have been struck by the intensity of having to accomplish so much work in so little time. We feel that we can alleviate some of this pressure, and create a more rewarding process, by having members do some preparatory work. To this end, we send out “homework”, outlining key questions about your site, common house or unit design requirements. This gives each member a chance to examine important design issues, so that they can approach the group exercises with a greater clarity.
We have had a lot of positive feedback about our latest approach to this preparatory work, which utilizes an on-line survey application that is easy to use, collate, and filter.
Homework may also include the gathering of images for use in assembling image boards during a group exercise.
Slide Presentation:
Workshops typically begin with a Friday night slide presentation, giving a tour of cohousing communities throughout the country. We then discuss, and illustrate through slides, issues that are key to the particular workshop (see below), and follow with a question and answer session. These slide presentations can be great marketing opportunities. This is always a nice way for the group to connect, for us to get to know members, and an inspiring way to start the weekend.
Site Workshop:
We will look at issues of proximity of units to each other and the common house, location of common house, orientation of pedestrian way, parking, solar access, and typical cohousing site amenities. We will show examples relevant to your own context: urban, suburban, or rural.
Common House Workshop:
We will focus our slide show on typical amenities and qualities of successful common houses, looking in substantial detail at dining room design and acoustics, kitchen layout, laundry and kids’ rooms.
Unit Workshop:
We will focus on typical amenities and qualities of successful units within cohousing. We also spend some time reviewing typical amenities within the common house that supplement private homes in cohousing.
Workshop Exercises:
On Saturday and Sunday, we run the programming workshop proper. The agenda is refined based on each group’s particular needs and site, but it typically includes the following exercises:
Site Analysis (site workshop): If possible, we begin Saturday with an observation and analysis of the site. Workshop participants walk the site with us, noting observations about different characteristics of the site: sound, light, access, etc.
Imaging Exercise: We run a guided visualization, having you imagine doing different activities in different areas of your community, common house, or units. This is followed by a whole group go-round, in which you can hear each other’s ideas. We then note and record common themes. This exercise helps each individual to focus on their own visions and dreams, hear others’ visions, and gives everyone a chance to notice commonalities.
Small-Group Discussion Exercises: We like to provide a balance of whole-group time with time spent in smaller sub-groups. The smaller groups give each person a chance to speak more, give you an opportunity to connect and get to know each other better, and permit you to sort out more ideas and come to some conclusions. Using these exercises as a precursor to whole group discussion, it is generally easier to arrive at consensus within the larger group.
Whole-Group Discussion: It is important for the whole group to come together and participate in the design decisions. We facilitate your process of coming to consensus on your design priorities, helping you to listen actively to each other. This process helps to build the social community, while designing the built community.
Image Boards: We usually have groups assemble boards of images they have brought in. These illustrate what you want your community, common house, or units to look and feel like, and serve as a basis for the aesthetic of your overall design.
Site Plan Block Exercise: One of the most engaging parts of the Site Workshop is working with your neighbors on a hands-on model of your site plan. Using to-scale blocks, you explore different ways to arrange the individual units and common house within your site. The whole group provides feedback on the different patterns that emerge, and this information guides the schematic design process.
Common House Block Exercise: This exercise involves working with your future neighbors on a hands-on model of your common house floor plan. Using to-scale paper “blocks” representing rooms and areas, you explore different ways to arrange the space within your common house. The whole group provides feedback on the different patterns that emerge, and this information guides the schematic design process.
Unit Typology Exercise: We present typical cohousing unit layouts and review aspects such as openness, entry, kitchen relationship, etc. The goal is not necessarily to approve or revise a plan, but to look for the aspects which the members hold in common. While block exercises are routinely used in site and common house workshops, they would not be used in a unit design workshop unless specifically requested.
Schematic Design:
Following the workshop, schematic design is explored in one of two ways:
- In-office design: When working as schematic design architects, we return to our office after the workshop to develop one to three schematic site plans (common house layouts / units floor plans) based on the information gathered during the workshop. This is usually done over the course of 1-3 weeks with reproducible schematic drawings as a final product. During this process, we will solicit information as necessary from the other professionals working on your project.
- Design Charrette with local professionals: When working at a distance, our role is often that of cohousing consultant, with a local design firm covering other responsibilities. In this case, we spend the Monday following the workshop working with the local professionals to develop 1-3 schematic designs based on the information gathered from the workshop. It is then the responsibility of the local design professional to develop reproducible schematic drawings for your final review and use. We usually carry some time for consulting with this professional as they develop their designs further.
Typical Documentation:
We provide the following documentation:
- Summary of the weekend process: a written record of the agenda, and status of decisions – including decisions made and points for future consensus.
- Written design program: list of site, common house and unit design elements & spaces along with their qualities and relationships.