“Skookum Chuck” Durrett
If you live in British Columbia, Canada, you might recognize “Skookumchuck” as the name of a small town in the East Kootenays. Or, you might know the word “skookum” as a Pacific Northwest phrase that means large, dominant, impressive… or even excellent, first-rate. And you might know the word “chuck” as a Canadian slang word that means a body of salt water.
“Skookum Chuck” Durrett is a large man whose presence is as impressive as the seaside. And whose wisdom about cohousing design is excellent, first-rate.
Compass Cohousing invites Chuck Durrett to help redesign the Common House
Being developers of a cohousing community can be exciting and transformative. While it’s challenging to balance the diverse desires of community members with the practical realities of construction and financing, it offers a unique chance for creative problem-solving, innovative thinking, and consensus decision-making.
Recently, Compass Cohousing Ltd. decided to rethink the community’s Common House with the primary goal of reducing costs and optimizing space. With the expert help of Chuck Durrett, AIA and Principal Architect of The Cohousing Company, we will not only save costs but have re-imagined, re-visioned, and re-designed the Common House to meet the needs and desires of our community members. In this case, Chuck is the design consultant, in consultation with our Architect of Record, Timothy Ankenman.
Common House Design Workshop with Cohousing Guru, Chuck Durrett
Compass Cohousing members basked for two days by the shores of “Skookum Chuck” and were awash in the presence of an engaging man who brought them close to the sometimes churning, occasionally frothing, and often lapping waters of the weekend excursion.
Durrett follows a well-honed approach to a cohousing design workshop: Goals > Activities > Place.
He started us on our re-imagining journey by making us identify the goals and values we share. Then we translated those values into activities we want to engage in in our Common House. Once those activities were prioritized, then we imagined the spaces to nurture those activities that meet the goals. Full circle to a re-designed Compass Cohousing Common House!
The job of the architect is to create a space where people want to be when the honeymoon wears off.
Chuck Durrett
Compass Cohousing members prioritize activities they envision for their Common House during a redesign workshop led by world-renowned cohousing architect Chuck Durrett
Group input was sometimes heated, occasionally unresolved, and often consensus’d (which is our habit as cohousers, anyway). It was sometimes difficult to un-imagine the previous Common House footprint we had become accustomed to and to re-imagine the future one. But we modeled the cohousing math equation of 1 + 1 = 3, meaning your idea and my idea creates a bigger and better idea.
Chuck Durrett has coined the phrase “cohousing math” which he says means “It’s better than I could have done myself.”
Preliminary Results of the Compass Cohousing Common House Redesign
With Chuck’s guiding hand, assisted by his talented intern Laurenne, we made great headway for the Common House redesign as we imagined the priority spaces that would meet our prioritized activities and goals/values.
Durrett and his team will provide a fully fleshed-out 2-storey Common House redesign plan in the coming weeks, but here are some of the decisions we made as a community that will inform that plan. (Note that all plans take into account accessibility design so it hasn’t been called out specifically below.)
Meals: Five communal meals weekly, with four weekday dinners and one flexible weekend meal.
Kitchen & Dining: Efficient kitchen for cooking teams, bright and social. Spacious dining room for large and small gatherings, versatile for various activities.
Lounge & Play Area: Comfortable seating, potential fireplace, and a nearby children’s play area.
Outdoor Terrace: Equipped for dining and gatherings, with BBQs and a gas fire pit.
Laundry & Storage: Common laundry facilities and ample storage throughout.
Guest Suites: Two guest suites available, one family-sized and one multipurpose with flexible furnishings.
Other Amenities: Includes bathrooms, a workshop, recreation area, fitness room, media room, and music area.
Flexibility & Design: Spaces designed for flexibility and future needs.
Stay tuned as we are so excited to share the final result.
Final Thoughts & Photos
Both days of our Common House Redesign Workshop were filled with community building, respectful listening and sharing, and a deeper understanding of what it means to give and take in a caring, supportive neighbourhood.
Just before the workshop weekend began, Chuck, who lives in a cohousing community himself, said:
Every day that I am home there is some joy to be had.
He is a man with enough experience to set the tide for a more functional, affordable, and joyful Compass Common House.
For now, we will leave you with some more photos taken during the redesign weekend.
Stay tuned…as soon as we have some detailed plans we will be sure to let you know!
Life in the Heart of Community
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