Common House Design
As the living room for the community, the Common House sets the initial impression for visitors about what cohousing is, what your community values might be, or the perceived benefits of living in community. Schemata Workshop has analyzed scores of common houses in Denmark and North America to discern what works and doesn't work. Following Charles Alexanders concept of Pattern Language, Grace Kim has thoroughly documented the necessary programmatic and design elements for a successful Common House.
Common House Design
The following is a table of contents from Grace's thesis; for a copy of the full design document, contact info@schemataworkshop.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE: SUMMARIES
List of Communities Visited
Aadalen 1
Bo 90
Drivhuset
Ibsgaarden
Jerngaarden
Jernstoeberiet
Jystrup Savvaerket
Leerbjerg Lod
Munksoegaard
Stavnsbaadet
Saettedammen
CHAPTER TWO: FINDINGS
Demographics
Common House Features
Site Planning
CHAPTER 3: DESIGN CRITERIA
Pattern Language
no. 1 Activity Node [30]
no. 2 Local Town Hall [44]
no. 3 Main Building [99]
no. 4 Centrally Located Common House
no. 5 Degree Of Publicness [36]
no. 6 Gatekeepers
no. 7 Local Centers - Satellite Activity Nodes
no. 8 Community Street - Life in the Street
no. 9 Communal Eating [147]
no. 10 Eating Atmosphere [181]
no. 11 Cooking Layout [184]
no. 12 Production Kitchen
no. 13 Central Bulletin Board
no. 14 Community Store
no. 15 Social Hall
no. 16 Guestrooms
no. 17 Connected Play [68]
no. 18 Teenager? Cottage / Apartment [154]
no. 19 Bulk Storage
no. 20 Community Laundry
no. 21 Common Areas at the Heart
no. 22 Alcoves [179]
no. 23 Spatial Hierarchy
no. 24 Ceiling Height Variety [190]
no. 25 Public Outdoor Room [69]
no. 26 South Facing Outdoors [105]
no. 27 Light on Two Sides of Every Room
no. 28 Window Place [180]
no. 29 Windows Overlooking
no. 30 Acoustics
no. 31 Lighting
no. 32 Seating
Common House Program
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSIONS
empowering communities through architecture