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.

Froggers Hard at Work, at Home!

May 05, 2020

Schemata’s Froggers are hard at work - and spread across the city! We are in our second month of working remotely, and although we really miss the camaraderie of our open office space, we are settling into a new productive rhythm in each of our respective homes. We feel lucky to be healthy and well-equipped to take the situation in-stride, and are working hard to support friends, neighbors, and members of our community for which this has not been as easy.

With all this time spent at home, we are realizing new things about our spaces (and our at-home coworkers!).

Mira's #WFH setup (complete with cute coworker!)

Joann’s #WFH with her little budding musician in the background.

Margaret K’s #WFH setup, including two of her coworkers hard at work.

Drew’s #WFH setup

Margaret T’s super-comfy #WFH setup

Geoff’s #WFH, complete with birds-eye view!

One of Geoff’s coworkers

Guy’s #WFH, where he wrote his thesis many years ago!

Emma’s comfy Belltown #WFH setup

Mike and Grace’s #WFH - at the office!

Schemata is lucky to have many hard-working parents on staff, who are now enjoying working in-situ with their families.

Mira: This photo of my #WFH setup describes the chaos and cuteness well. I have my laptop and phone set on my kitchen counter while my partner uses the home office upstairs. Highlights include: hearing giggles and laughter from the kids all day, daily walks to the corner coffee shop (Tougo) for grab & go coffee, abundant daylight from the kitchen windows, gratitude that my M-I-L is serendipitously here for her sabbatical and can spend some extra time with the kids while we work. Win-win!

Joann: My work from home setup is at our dining table. My desk mate tells the corniest dad jokes and my other coworker is a budding musician, so it’s never dull. The commute is great and there’s ample daylight.

Our staff also includes many animal lovers, who are finding that their furry coworkers add excitement to the workday.

Margaret K: This is a photo of my work from home situation (complete with 2/3 of my new coworkers!). Positives from #wfh: My partner is also an architect so I get to bounce ideas off of him, I get to spend 200% more time with my cats, I’m discovering lots of new music and podcasts, and I’m taking walks around my neighborhood!

Drew: My golden doodle Margot loves that I am working from home! I could not make it through without wireless headphones, a door that I can shut, and a sheepskin for my * highly ergonomic * wood folding chair.

Margaret T: This is my #wfh setup in our living room. It's super-comfy and quiet (I think I'm more productive) and I can see most of Pratt Park from my spot. My partner Danny has set up his office on our dining room table (two large monitors, a laptop, and the loudest wireless keyboard known to humankind), however we have similar work styles so it’s been lovely working in the same room. We also have extra time to spend with our elderly cat, although she spends most of her day snoring on the loveseat and ignoring us!

For some of our staff, the opportunity to work from home is a chance to recenter, customizing their environment and connecting with what they love about their work.

Geoff: My #wfh setup is at the end of our dining table, which I usually use for at-home/evening work (I wrote AIA Washington Council’s current bylaws here!). I like all the natural daylight, and it’s a good place to track what’s going on in the rest of the house. I keep the suet feeder outside the window filled so that I can watch my regular bird visitor friends. Most commonly the Chickadee, House Sparrow, House Finch, Junco, Oak Titmouse, Stellar Jay, Flickers (see the photo), Crows, and occasionally a squirrel.

Guy: My home office is familiar, comfortable, convenient and efficient. It was originally set up in this location while I was still in school. It has new furniture, and of course the computer has been added, but I wrote my thesis while sitting in the same place I’m now working. Access to Schemata project files through Citrix and to office meetings and team chats through MS Teams has been seamless!

Emma: I re-arranged my desk so that I’m able to see outside and get some natural light. I also dragged over a comfy chair from the living room to serve as my desk chair (so that I can sit cross-legged!). My setup includes three monitors, so I have more screen space at home than at work, and I get a lot done when I set my own hours and don’t have to commute. I also love being able to see the world go by while I work!

Grace + Mike: Working remotely doesn’t look too different for us because we “live above the shop”. With the school closure, it is much more productive for us to be in the office than with our pre-teen daughter who is busy with homework, piano practice, and art projects. Perks include lots of focused time to get our work done, eating more lunches with family, getting out for walks around the block, and getting more sleep.

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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.