This is the presentation from a webinar aired on 5/1/17 hosted by the Open Architecture Collaborative and The AIA Housing Knowledge Community. The presentation was made by Mary Kraus. Cohousing is a form of community that came to the United States from Denmark in the 1980’s. These neighborhoods provide a strong sense of community, balanced with the privacy of the individual home. Whether rural or urban, the neighborhoods are centered around a pedestrian environment, promoting chance encounters and conversations that build connection. Shared amenities include a common house, in which neighbors gather a couple of times each week to share dinners. Neighbors not only manage the community, but participate in the development and design process as well. Speaker: Mary Kraus Mary has specialized in cohousing and sustainable community design for over 25 years. She was one of the architects for the first cohousing community to be built in the eastern United States, and has worked with over two dozen communities throughout North America. She has served on the boards of the Cohousing Network and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. She currently runs a consulting business focusing on participatory decision-making.

1. Mary Kraus
AIA, LEED BD+C
Participatory Design
An efficient, enjoyable workshop approach
© Mary Kraus 2017

2. What is Cohousing?
• Housing model imported from Denmark in
1980’s
• Community balanced with privacy

3. Cohousing
Pedestrian environment

4. Cohousing
Common house, for shared meals & amenities

5. Cohousing
Designed, managed &
maintained by residents

6. Cohousing
How do 20-30 unrelated
adults design their
community together?

7. History

8. Workshop Goals
• Design program: general & specific
requirements
• Design directions: basic design concept
• Community-building

9. Steps
1. Survey
2. Agenda (including preliminary draft of design
program)
3. Slide show
4. Weekend workshop
5. Schematic designs

10. Survey – Informational items

11. Survey – Suggested program

12. Survey – Questions

13. Survey – Questions

14. Survey – Questions

15. Survey Analysis
Conclusion: Propose as part of Draft Design
Program

16. Survey Analysis
Conclusion: Put on agenda as discussion item

17. Agenda & Draft Design Program
Survey results → Proposed design program
& Topics for discussion

18. Weekend Workshop
• Slide Show (Friday night)
• Workshop:
o Introduction & group-building
o Guided visualization
o Discussion & exercises to reach consensus
on identified issues
o Block exercise
• Schematic Design (by architects
post-workshop)

19. Slide Show

20. Workshop: Ground Rules

21. Workshop: Overarching Goals

22. Workshop: Community-Building

23. Workshop Exercises
Guided
Site
Analysis

24. Workshop Exercises
Spectru
m
Discussio
n

25. Workshop Exercises
Prioritization

26. Workshop Exercises
Image

27. Workshop Exercises
Temperature:
•Love it
•Like it
•Don’t like it, but can live with it
•Can’t live with it

28. Workshop Block Exercise

29. Workshop: Block Exercise

30. Workshop: Design Directions

31. Workshop: Design Directions
Architects’
synthesis →
← Child’s design

32. Post-Workshop Design

33. Finalized Program

34. Finalized Program

35. Finalized Program

36. Finalized Program

37. Designs Based on Program

38. Consultation Throughout Design

39. Compassion
The Secret Ingredient

40. Technical Credits:
Mary Kraus
Laura Fitch
Photo Credits:
Mike April
Janice Doyama
John Fabel
Laura Fitch
Mary Kraus
Jen Luck
Rebecca Reid
© Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. 2006
Credits

41. Mary Kraus, AIA, LEED BD+C
mary@marykrausarchitect.com
110 Pulpit Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
413-548-0050
www.marykrausarchitect.com
Contact

42. Questions from Garrett:
● How does funding work?
● At what point do you come in?
● How is this different from a traditional Architectural service?
● Do you serve as facilitator in conflict resolution?
● Do you believe architecture prepares people for this type of work or would you
recommend other sources of education?
● How do you define the build work? Are owners/residents ever involved?
● How many co-housing groups are there in the US? Do they communicate? Cohousing
network...
● Are you also engaged in CA?
● How do you take and account the different cultures of how groups might make a
decision?
● How does local code / regulate affect this work?
● What are the types of members? Who is the client?
Other information about Mary: Has been living in co-housing for over 20 years. Proud
professional accomplishment? - FIrst community she worked on is where she lives. Qorked
with Quebitec in Qebec - fluent in French. First one… Working with a net zero community
- hopeful. Regularly cook for 40. Facilitation training within cohousing community.
Scale - is this the max size? 20-30 ppl?
● Defined process - used to be more open ended.
Contact