Endless Meetings or Efficiency
in Design Decision-Making
© Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. 2006
Developed by Laura Fitch, Kraus Fitch Architects ([email protected])
Permission to edit granted to Samenhuizen (Belgium Housing Association) by Kraus Fitch Architects, 8/2013
The Workshop Approach
Building cohousing communities starts with the
people who will live there but it involves many
professionals along the way.
Workshops can be a win-win process For both the design professionals and group members
We each have a job to do
Professional’s jobs: • To work within the groups decision making process. • To educate members in advance of decisions• To reduce group member work load – they don’t need to reinvent the wheel• To be a cohousing expert – visit sites, attend conferences, do research
Group’s job: • To come to consensus in a reasonable amount of time•To understand the difference between what is essential, what is nice to have, and that compromises are part of the process
Programming & Design Workshops: 9 total
Flow chart by Chris ScottHansen
Programming & Design Workshops: 9 total
I) Visioning – one day
2) Programming and Schematic Design• Site programming + Design – two days• Eco programming – one days• Common House – two days• Units – two days + one day
3) Design Development• Site – evening• Common House – one day, subgroups• Units – one day• Design Development acceptance - evening
Typical Programming and Schematic Design
Workshop:Homework in advance
Friday evening slide show
Saturday: Programming
Sunday: Programming continued and Hands-on Schematic Design
Professional Design Charrette
Presentation, feedback, design development
Homework
Assigning homework to the group ahead of time brings more focus to the workshop.
Homework can:
Educate the resident group about issues in advance of the meeting
Help the architect:• understand the core values of their client group• determine where there is already consensus• determine where a recommendation is all that is needed• determine workshop agenda and focus meeting discussions on the areas where homework has shown that there is no clear direction yet.
HW - On-line survey
Overarching goals
Use a draft program: with cohousing standards
Questions interlaced
Answers should be designed to be easy to collate
Use a simple rating system to evaluate green goals:1. essential2. important3. nice to have4. not important to me5. don’t want
HW – Site Visit
HW – Gather Images
HW – Visit cohousing communities and read the
cohousing books
Preparing for Workshop:
Group:• Provide main contact person for architect• Determine location for and advertise slide show• Determine location for workshop • Choose a process facilitator• Do all homework assignments by deadline
Architects:• Collate homework•Cull out discussion and items and recommendation items •Create draft program and send to group•Create agenda•Pack materials
Know what your meeting facility and atmosphere will be like before you get there:
Tables
Break-out spaces
Childcare
Number of participants
Lunch and snacks
Wheel chair or other access requirements?
Set up the room in a way that will allow everyone to participate fully.
Set up the room in a way that will allow everyone to participate fully.
Team facilitation:
Team facilitation is fun, we recommend THREE people:
-Architect deals with content, -Aide (usually from architect’s staff) keeps notes and helps architect, -Group provided facilitator keeps stack and watches for emotional needs.
The Workshop
Six parts to a typical eco-design workshop:
Part I – Educational
Part II – Introduction and Group Building
Part III – Programming (the hard work)
Part IV – Prioritization (the even harder work)
Part V – Testing Decisions (if applicable (e.g. site design)
Part V1 – Summary, Evaluation
Workshop – Part 1Educational
Two part:• What is Cohousing? • Workshop Specific: site, eco, common house, units
Group: • Advertise and provide directions• Make newcomers feel welcome• Provide food• Introduce presenter• Field questions specific to group vision and site
Presenter• Content•Tell cohousing stories not just technical information• Field Questions: Be prepared to answer questions about living in cohousing, not just about design.
Slide Show
Two part:• What is Cohousing? • Workshop Specific: site, eco, common house, units
Group: • Advertise and provide directions• Make newcomers feel welcome• Provide food• Introduce presenter• Field questions specific to group vision and site
Presenter• Content•Tell cohousing stories not just technical information• Field Questions: Be prepared to answer questions about living in cohousing, not just about design.
Slide Show
Workshop – Part IIIntroduction and Group Building:
Present agenda and goals – it is easier to face a long agenda if you know where it is going
Present ground rules
Be organized AND fun – set the tone early
Try simple get-to-know-you exercises(eg., QUICK go-around to answer a question such as: “What do you look forward to eating in your common house?”)
Use visualization exercise to get members to share their dreams
Sunday:
8:30 Gather
9:00/10 Opening
9:10/10 Introduction and Review
9:20/100 Site Layout – Block Exercises
11:00/30 Break – Architect’s work
11:30/60 Site Layout - Continued
12:30/60 Lunch
1:30/90 Secondary Discussion Items OR continuation of Site Layout
Exercise
3:00/15 Break
3:15/60 Qualities of Spaces and Elements
4:14/30 Extra Time
4:45/15 Summary, Evaluation and Closing
Saturday
8:30 Gather
9:00/10 Opening
9:10/10 Introduction, Ground Rules, Big Picture: What are goals of weekend, How do architects use this
information
9:20/10 Site Feedback
9:30/60 Imaging Exercise
10:30/15 Break
10:45/15 Review OverarchingGoals
11:00/90 Program Discussion Items
12:30/45 Lunch
1:15/105 Discussion Items (Continued)
3:00/15 Break
3:15/90 Discussion Items (Continued)
4:45/15 Summary, Evaluation and Closing
Typical Site Design Workshop Agenda:
Ground Rules – my list
Emotions are okay, Aggression is not
Hands to speak (stacks of four) and/or willingness to work with group’s “card system”
Listen for understanding
When in doubt about process, the facilitators decides
Silence = Assent
If confused, ask
Stay on topic / Storage bin for off topic items
Let others speak
No side conversations (distracting for facilitators and others)
Imperfect process, facilitator is always making adjustments to match the group process
Relies on Group coming to consensus in a reasonable timeframe
Develop your own – teach by example.
It will be a long weekend - humor helps
Explore overarching values
But don’t get bogged down here. Values are only words until put into the context of tough decisions.
Visualization:
Workshop – Part IIIProgramming:
This is the hard work (tedious, and unfamiliar)
Homework can make all the difference.
Prioritize the decisions that really need to be made, and let the others slide if necessary.
Break the work into logical chunks.
Put specific issues aside if you are getting bogged down.
Use a “parking lot” for off-topic items.
Stretch and take breaks
Ask folks to take a deep breath while facilitators gather their thoughts
Don’t start from scratch, use the homework to generate a DRAFT program.
Time and frustration saving techniques:
Survey and educate in advance
One-on-one quick discussions
Small groups
Spectrum exercise
Love it, Like it, Live with it, Don’t like it, Can’t live with it
Prioritization index cards
Block exercises for design
Information about costs
Simple choices
Clear recommendations from professionals
Workshop – Part IVPrioritizing the program:
Workshop – Part VTesting the program (hands-on):
This is fun but not natural to non-designers
Display other community plans, for common house plans for reference.
Break into small groups (4-8 people).
Architect’s help out: give hints.
Generate several schematic designs (e.g., try a “linear” and a “courtyard” scheme).
Small groups report back: present each scheme and list pros and cons.
Group takes lunch break, while professionals have a working lunch: group “types” of ideas and synthesize them.
Come back together, review, discuss, and look for consensus on 1-3 directions
Develop two or three different schemes and suggest different approaches (eg., Try the common house in three different locations)
It’s a good idea to build a site model if the topography is a challenge. This is something that a group member can do to save money on architectural fees.
“Blocks” for the common house hands-on exercise are just scraps of colored paper.
Fold or cut and paste them to change them from simple rectangles to more complex shapes
Present and evaluate ideas. Quickly list pros and cons of every scheme.
Be sure to say something positive about every design – even rejected designs teach us a lot
Synthesize this information. Look for a direction.
Diagram the discoveries that were made.
For example: Common house location, views, open space…
Facilitate refinements of the preferred schemes.
Workshop – Part VSummary and Evaluation
Celebrate your progress at the end of each day! The design professional should ask for constructive feedback .
Post - Workshop Design Development and Presentations
Remind the group how they got to this point.
Make revisions on your feet, bring the right tools, and leave their egos behind.
Remember:• Cohousing design professionals help build community, not just buildings.• It’s an imperfect process, be gentle and flexible.
Kraus Fitch Architects provides slide shows (for cohousing groups and professionals) on cohousing design and work systems. They include:
Part 1 – What is Cohousing?Part 2 – Cohousing Site DesignPart 3 – Common House DesignPart 4 – Cohousing Unit DesignPart 5 – Cohousing & SustainabilityPart 6 – Getting the Work Done
Contact for copies: Laura Fitch: [email protected]
This slide show was developed by Kraus Fitch Architects to educate cohousing groups about our workshop approach to making decisions during the design phase.
Permission to edit was granted to Samenhuizen (Belgium Housing Association) by KFA in August 2013. Credits for photographers, communities, etc. should remain intact.
If fees for presentations of this material are requested and accepted, please consider giving a donation to the Cohousing Association of the US (www. cohousing.org).
KRAUS FITCH ARCHITECTS, INC.
HOME COMMUNITY PLANET
Resources
Cohousing Association of the US (CohoUS)www.cohousing.org
Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc., (413) 549-5799www.krausfitch.com
Laura Fitch: [email protected]
Photo Credits:Mike AprilJanice Doyama Rebecca Reid Laura Fitch Mary Kraus John FabelJim Hanson
With special thanks to the many individuals and communities featured in this show.
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