Affordable and Ecological Cohousing Design

July 10 - August 14 Thursdays, 12pm-1:30pm MT

$250.00

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In this 6-course seminar, the student will learn from Charles Durrett, the leading architect and builder of cohousing communities globally. Durrett will impart his decades of experience so that you can learn about how to build your dream residential community with affordability and sustainability top of mind.

The student will learn how affordability and sustainability fit together, hand in glove. It’s not one or the other. We’ll dive in to where the highest level of sustainability is achieved in high-functioning cohousing communities, culture change itself. Durrett will cover both the essence and the basics – based on designing for thousands of cohousers who didn’t want to compromise either. 

Instructor: Charles Durrett

Charles Durrett, with Kathryn McCamant, introduced the concept of cohousing to the United States with the seminal book Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves. The latest edition is Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities, and his most recent publication is Cohousing Communities: Designing for High-Functioning Neighborhoods which details the participatory design process. He has written several other books on cohousing, including Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living—The Handbook, The Senior Cohousing Primer: Recent Examples and New Projects, Happily Ever Aftering in Cohousing: A Handbook for Community Living, and State-Of-The-Art Cohousing: Lessons Learned from Quimper Village.

Durrett is the principal architect at The Cohousing Company, where he and his team have designed more than 50 cohousing communities in the United States and around the world, including Muir Commons in Davis, California, the first cohousing community in North America. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, Architecture, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and many other publications.

Charles Durrett has received numerous awards, which include the World Habitat Award presented by the United Nations, the Silver Achievement Award for Active Adult Community by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council, the Silver Energy Value Housing Award by NAHB, the Mixed Use/Mixed Income Development Award presented jointly by the American Institute of Architects and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and a recipient of the Global Over 50’s Housing/Healthcare award. He was also recently declared as a “visionary of the Sierras” by the Sierra Business Council, and the International Property Awards.

Durrett regularly gives presentations on cohousing to interested citizen groups. He has spoken before the United States Congress twice, has been featured on the Commonwealth Club, and has lectured at scores of universities. He lives in Nevada City, California, where he primarily today consults on model communities and comfortable homes, including the 34-home cohousing community in which he lives.

Course Breakdown

  • Session 1: The Big Picture
    • Sustainable & Affordable Zoning & Land Use
    • Group Culture and Attitude
    • Finding a Site and Negotiating with Land Sellers and Officials
    • Gaining support from local stakeholders

 

  • Session 2: Planning the Project
    • Production construction
    • Building types & Housing types
    • Designing houses together
    • Construction of the common house
    • Prioritizations during planning and design process
    • Review case studies and analyze how to achieve quality project with less cost ($50 less per square than comparable projects)

 

  • Session 3: Construction Approaches
    • Traditional framing, prefabrication, and other construction methodologies
    • Energy-Efficient & Affordable Building and Construction Details
      • Framing details, foundation details, roof details, and many more

 

  • Session 4: Project Management & Construction Negotiation/Administration
    • Keeping the project on tract with no delays
    • Finding the right consultants and contractor

 

  • Session 5: Long-Term Resource Savings
    • How residents in cohousing community save everyday costs long-term

 

  • Session 6: Happily Ever Aftering 
      • Sustainable and Affordable Ongoing Maintenance Strategies
      • Community Agreements
  • Sustainable Design for Long-Term affordability & Low Maintenance
  • Community resource sharing

 

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