Highlights of Research from Cohousing Communities

Who Have Hired Professionals Internally

by Tree Bressen

Sources (6 phone interviews)

1. Architect Mary Kraus of Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts.

2. Overall manager (in the early stages, until project was ready for hand-off to project manager) Nick Meima of Sunward Cohousing in Michigan, and one resident who moved in later and is involved with helping start another community now.

3. Builder/development partner from a community in the southwest, and one couple who are members (one of whom was on the committee that interfaced with the builder/developer).

Experiences

Overall, while i didn’t actually talk with other members of Pioneer Valley, both Mary’s and Nick’s assessment was that using an internal architect at Pioneer Valley turned out ok. Nick says Pioneer Valley is unusual in having decided to hire lots of internal professionals and being committed to making that work. (The internal professionals included Mary as one of the three architects—the other two from outside the group; Laura Fitch as owners’ rep; the contractor; and one of his subcontractors.) Nick also thinks that the multiple internal professionals provided buffering for each other.

Other experiences reported were much less sanguine. Three people said firmly, “Don’t do it.” Nick stated his opinion that an architect would have to be out of his mind to choose to take on the hardships entailed by this particular mix of roles! He says it’s too awkward to manage a neighbor, and points out that some communities, such as Winslow, have had to fire their architects. In his case and case #3 above, the internal professional withdrew from community life after move-in and even years later has yet to take on any leadership roles again; both the professionals and non-professionals from these communities said there are still residual upset feelings from members toward these professionals. Several people pointed out that it’s impossible for an architect to avoid design bugs that others will hassle them after move-in (e.g. at Sunward the architect—who was not a member—located the light switches in the bathrooms behind the doors, and people are still complaining 5 years later). The upshot is that using internal professionals is a risky decision.

Mary pointed out that the decision is not necessarily all or nothing. For example, the main architect can do charettes with a local architect.

What Helps It Work—Community

Use only the highest quality, experienced professionals. Check references as you would for any other professional. To succeed as a community architect requires extraordinary skills in a lot more than conceptual design: willingness to do more participatory design than usual, oversight of other professionals, follow-through and diligence, ability to meet deadlines, paperwork, communication, construction drawings, and more.

Value services appropriately. Know what the market rate is.

Get it all in writing. Don’t use the relationship as an excuse to avoid the hard work of creating necessary documentation.

Educate yourselves. Understand that given their knowledge base, many of your questions or opinions are going to sound useless or absurd to the architect. Find out where their job starts and ends and what exactly to expect from them. Respect that the architect likely won’t risk their reputation, fee, etc. to satisfy the community’s desires. Know that given the considerable time pressure of the situation you will often feel frustrated, because there won’t be time for you to be as involved in the design decisions as you would like.

What Helps It Work—Professional

Service to the group is paramount. Lay your personal goals aside, especially the egotistical desire to be a “design god” that is typical of architects. Take pride in listening, instead of in great design. Always get group buy-in for significant design decisions—you have to let go, the group is in charge. Trust the community process. If you can give up your attachment to being an owner and act only in the professional role, then people never have to wonder which hat you are wearing.

Communicate, communicate, communicate. Over-inform. Give people frequent reports (in writing and/or via email), otherwise they may assume the worst. As architects are often introverted and unskilled at communication, if you need to, hire someone else as an assistant who listens to you once a week and then writes the reports. “Communication and lack thereof is what drives everyone nuts.”

Be aware of which hat you are wearing at all times. And make sure it’s clear to others.

Value relationship over task. Use gentler communication than you would with other clients.

Know that people will get upset at you. Develop a tough skin, but don’t get defensive. People are inevitably going to get upset at you, about money or time or design choices or. . . .

Get support. Perhaps a liaison between you and the group, and definitely a few good friends outside the community.

Educate the group. Explain to them exactly what to expect from the architect role. And tell them your biases up front, your intentions, and what you are giving up.

What Helps It Work—Both Community & Professional

Honor boundaries. The professional needs to set limits and the community needs to honor them. The professional will probably need to establish office hours, avoid being on call all the time, take time off, and find times to interact with community members purely socially. Don’t try to get personal favors from the professional. Remember that the professional works for the group, not the individuals.

Clear steps. Everyone needs to be clear on what the powers and limits of the members and the architect are at each stage of the process, and then follow the rules.

Ritual at move-in. To formally acknowledge the changing of roles, and to let go of energy associated with the development and construction process.