Bring in the Residents! Capitol Hill TOD Building B-South Nears Completion

August 18, 2020 in Cohousing, Community, Housing, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Living

Imagine sitting on your shaded balcony, nestled just above the treetops, watching dogs play in Cal Anderson. Your family is gathered inside around the kitchen island, helping with dinner. Down to your right, there is an open plaza, and you can hear the faint sound of music and laughter coming from your neighbors gathered below. The breeze is light, and the inevitable Seattle rain is nowhere to be seen (and neither is the famous Seattle chill, as your neighbors give you a wave).

Building B-South is one of two projects designed by Schemata Workshop as a part of the Capitol Hill Transit-Oriented Development. It consists of 74 luxury market rate units, with 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartment and townhome options. Surrounded by 10th Ave E to the East, Cal Anderson Park to the South, and the Capitol Hill TOD plaza to the West, residents are immersed in a park-like environment, while still able to easily access the urban perks of bustling Broadway Ave. A second level amenity lounge, intentionally located at tree canopy level, features a full-kitchen as well as outdoor seating and a BBQ grill. The street level townhomes along 10th Ave respond directly to the neighborhood residential character with their inviting stoops and brick and wood facades.

The building is highly sustainable, achieving LEED Platinum certification, employing passive solar strategies, low flow fixtures, and low VOC materials. It is the result of close collaboration between Schemata Workshop, the architect, Gerding Edlen Development, the Owner, and Lease Crutcher Lewis, the contractor.

For more information:

https://www.schemataworkshop.com/capitol-hill-tod-bsouth

https://www.apartments.com/capital-hill-station-apartments-seattle-wa/4912xmk/

Welcome 2020 Graduates!

August 17, 2020 in Cohousing, Community, Housing, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Living

We at Schemata understand that during these “unprecedented” times, graduating from college is a larger leap than ever.

As the new 2020 graduates face the world, many of our staff have been reminiscing about their first post-college experiences — the difficulties they faced, the people who helped them along the way, and the resilience required to “make it” as a young professional, particularly in the architecture field.

Some of our staff have family or friends who have graduated this year, and we understand the unique difficulties of entering the “real world” in the midst of a global pandemic. However, more than ever, this time is ripe for change, fresh ideas, and all the other qualities these graduates are bringing with them.

As a firm that values fresh and diverse approaches, we are excited to see what this most recent graduating class of architects has in store. We are excited to welcome them into our profession, and to see what they will go on to achieve.

To all recent grads: stay strong, believe in your abilities and ideas, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help along the way. We at Schemata stand with you during this time. Welcome to the profession!

Further resources:

https://archinect.com/features/article/150207605/2020-architecture-graduates-share-their-thoughts-on-the-current-job-market

https://www.ncarb.org/blog/must-read-career-tips-architects

http://www.aias.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/5.24.18-How-To-Get-A-Job-In-Architecture.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Architectural-Internship-Career-Development/dp/0471692638

Kaephoj in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jes Edvars

Connected Play - Cohousing Pattern #17 [68]

May 05, 2020 in Cohousing, Cohousing Patterns, Community, Housing, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Living

“Children need other children.” This sentence speaks volumes of the interdependence between a child’s personal development and his/her interactions with other children. In addition to basic social skills, a child’s emotional development can be nurtured through playing with their peers and taking care of younger kids.

The children’s realm in a Common House or adjacent outdoor spaces can provide places for the children to have meaningful relationships with one another. The Common House provides a place for children to gather and meet without the need for adults to intervene and schedule “play dates.”

Children raised in cohousing communities tend to be natural communicators - having watched their elders achieve consensus in their meetings and interactions with other cohousing residents. There are numerous anecdotes of cohousing children being asked by their school teachers to moderate fights between their classmates.

Kilen Cohousing in Birkerød, DK. Designed by Jan Gudmand Hoyer

Leerbjerg Lod in Hillerød, DK. Designed by Arkitektgruppen | Aarhus APS

Trudeslund Cohousing in Birkerød, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Kaephoj in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jes Edvars

Jystrup Savvaerket in Jystrup, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Please Note:

This series of blog posts is focused on explaining common design patterns in cohousing. Grace Kim, a founding principal and owner of Schemata Workshop, has identified patterns applicable to cohousing from "Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander and has added some of her own.

Grace's additional patterns pay particular attention to the Common House because its design requires special consideration. 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 does and does not work. Following Alexander's concept of Pattern Language, Grace has thoroughly documented the necessary programmatic and design elements for a successful Common House.

To learn more about cohousing at Schemata, visit our cohousing page.

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Ted Radio Hour: Meditations on Loneliness

April 27, 2020 in Cohousing, Community, Housing, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Living

Schemata founder and principal Grace Kim was featured by NPR’s TED Radio Hour as a part of their recent episode "Meditations on Loneliness."

In a time when loneliness is a more pertinent topic than ever, Grace talked with TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi about the potential of Cohousing as an antidote. Walking through Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing (in a time before physical distancing), they discussed the benefits of cohousing and the ways in which this intentional community in the dense urban heart of Seattle offers opportunities for multi-generational connectivity.

To listen to the whole episode, click here.

To listen to Grace’s segment, and watch her original TED Talk, click here.

The rooftop garden at Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing

Schemata Workshop’s window display on loneliness and community building at Infiniti Real Estate + Development in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

Loneliness - An Invisible Symptom

April 01, 2020 in Cohousing, Community, Housing, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Living

In her recent article in the New Yorker, “How Loneliness From Coronavirus Isolation Takes Its Own Toll,” Robin Wright states that novel coronavirus has spread across the globe “at a time when more people are living alone than ever before in human history.”

Over the past month, with local, national, and international shelter-in-place measures enacted to slow the imminent spread of COVID-19, social isolation has become the norm and loneliness has been spreading almost as quickly as the novel virus.

As designers of, for, and with communities, Schemata Workshop has always been focused on design’s ability to increase social cohesion. For over two decades, Schemata Principal and Founder Grace Kim has carefully considered the ways in which design can either perpetuate or combat loneliness, exploring Cohousing as a housing model to encourage greater social connectedness within communities and larger neighborhoods. Her 2017 TED Talk “How Cohousing Can Make Us Happier (and Live Longer)” has become the inspiration for new Cohousing communities nationally and internationally.

We understand that in the present moment not everyone is living in community, but almost everyone is feeling the effects of isolation. Drawing from Grace’s lessons and the growing body of international research on the topic, we at Schemata compiled a quick resource guide on understanding loneliness, and buildings community over distance.