Community, Environment,

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Community, Environment, Sustainability
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Community?
The American Dream?
Sense of Place?
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Creating Sense of Place
Poplar Place by Wolff Lyon Architects
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The Roots of Cohousing
First cohousing community formed in Denmark in
the mid-70s Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett
studied cohousing and brought the concept to the
U.S.in the late 80s
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Cohousing

• Where Proactive Community and Sense
• of Place Come Together to Promote Sustainability

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• Neighborhood Designed to facilitate community.

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Cohousing is
Hearthstone Cohousing Denver
Homes clustered around a center green
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What Is a Sustainable Neighborhood?

• A progressive, yet practical, lifestyle
• Small neighborhoods that encourage and emphasize
  social interaction
• Clustered homes with shared green/open space
• A balance between private and public spaces
• Utilization of shared resources and facilities
• Self-Managed neighborhood Community Focused
• High Construction Quality and Ultra
  Green-Built

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Cohousing Communities and Member Participation

• Members have input into the actual design of the
  neighborhood
• Community Building Workshops
• Communities are Self-Managed
• Collaborative Decision Making Yields Better
  Results

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Who lives in Cohousing?

• Cultural Creatives
• Written by Paul Ray

• Well-educated
• Idealistic, want a sense of purpose
• Aware and actively involved in change
• Proactive Thinkers and Doers
• High awareness of the value of and their impact
  on the environment

SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH COMMUNITY
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Most energy efficient new community in Colorado -
1991
Nyland Community, Lafayette, CO.
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Elements of Community Based Value

• The Good Life
• good food
• good friends
• entertainment
• sharing resources
• security safety
• a good place to raise kids
• a good place to grow old

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Community Creates Place
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Synergy Through Diversity
Technology
Crafts
Workshop
Sharing resources, skills, interests and
knowledge.
Gardening
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Sense of Purpose
Working together to create more than a
neighborhood.
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Environmentalism with a sense of purpose
Sonora Common House straw bale construction
Tierra Nueva Common House
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Greyrock Cohousing
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Harmony Village, Golden, CO
David Wann In the garden
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Cohousing New Urbanism Its about Community
Hearthstone Cohousing at Highlands Garden Village
New Urban Neighborhoods attract Cultural
Creatives because they are designed for
community, Interesting, Walkable, with mixed uses.
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Hearthstone the Neighborhood Side
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The Community Side
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Hearthstone Common House
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Hearthstone interaction with HGV neighborhood

• Common house is used for HOA meetings and sub
  association meetings
• Hosts monthly neighborhood homeowner forum
• Models good communication values and process for
  neighborhood
• Drives neighborhood community gardens
• Hosts neighborhood monthly pot luck

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Lyons Valley Village Site Plan
Single Family Cottages
Paired Homes
Flats Lofts
Common House
Flats Lofts
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Holiday Neighborhood

• Mixed Uses
• Diverse housing
• opportunities
• Pedestrian friendly
• streets
• Neighborhood parks
• and common areas
• Good transportation

Wild Sage
Silver Sage Site
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Holiday Neighborhood
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Holiday Neighborhood- walkable urban living
Wild Sage
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Wild Sage Cohousing
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Silver Sage Village A Community for Proactive
Adults
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Senior Cohousing is a new housing concept
offering pro-active adults, 50 and better, the
opportunity to live independently and age in
community within a close-knit group of
neighbors.
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Washington Village Urban Infill Cohousing
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Washington Village Community On site 3000 sf
Common House 6000 sf neighborhood community
space

• Programs on site Seniors and intergenerational
• Artist in Residence (Living Treasures)
• - Garden level in School
• with small apt. and studio space
• Wisdom Elder in Residence
• - Naropa Univ. CU
• Music Room and/or Art Studios

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Neighborhood Development LEED for Neighborhood
Development integrates the principles of smart
growth, urbanism and green building into the
first national standard for neighborhood design.
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A Well functioning Community

• Creates real value for individuals the community
  and the whole society.
• Captures the synergy in diversity.
• Makes decisions and takes action more efficiently
  and with less frustration and energy loss.
• Is sustainable and contributes to a more
  sustainable world

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Institute for Intentionally Sustainable
Neighborhoods (IISN)

• Executive Director
• John P. Engel
• john_at_iisn.org
• 303.442.4286

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IISN Mission

• Two-fold mission
• To discover best practices and models of
  intentionally sustainable neighborhoods through
  credible qualitative and quantitative research
  methodologies and

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• IISN Mission

2) To advocate, through educational initiatives,
for an increased prevalence of these best
practices and models in neighborhoods as a means
to creating a more sustainable society.
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Dual Social Benefits

• Student interns help IISN create a more
  sustainable world by contributing to research and
  education initiatives.
• IISN helps create a more sustainable world by
  helping inspire and empower student interns to
  engage in research and education initiatives.

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Redefining The Responsibility of Neighborhood and
Home.
Colorados First Geo-Solar, Eco-Neighborhood of
Homes. 69th and Joyce, Arvada.
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GEOS Vision
Geos Incorporates Multiple Mixed-use Attributes

• 40 green space
• Pedestrian orientation
• Neighborhood services
• Physical features define a center
• of the neighborhood
• Active open space

Higher density with
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GEOS Vision
Geos Vision Build Colorados first neighborhood
of homes, where earth sun energy replace all
fossil fuels.
Use only proven and existing technologies
Ensure efficiency systems are subcontractor
friendly Implement new developer-builder
relationship
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Market
We are Interested in Low Energy Homes. Are
Consumers?
Would you live in a smaller home if built to
environmentally friendly standards? (LJA Survey,
Oct 1, 2007)
How much interest do you have in purchasing a
home in a neighborhood that is designed with very
energy efficient, solar powered homes? (LJA
Survey, Oct 1, 2007)
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GEOS Technology
Geos Utilizes Demonstrated and Cost-Effective
Designs

• Computerized energy modeling multiple
  platforms confirm efficiency design
• Ground source heat pump for domestic hot water
  and back-up conditioning heat
• Passive solar orientation sun is primary
  source of conditioning heat
• High performance shell high insulation, low
  infiltration
• Intelligent blinds optimizes solar gain and
  thermal insulation
• Solar photovoltaic achieves net zero energy
  goal

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GEOS Technology
Geothermal System Provides Domestic Hot Water
Backup Heating
Community based system Horizontal loop field
(5-6 Acres) Each heat pump will service
multiple homes All required energy achieved
from renewable sources (solar PV) Cost per home
6,000-8,000
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GEOS Technology
Secondary Loopfield 1 100 T, 400 gpm
Secondary Loopfield 2 280 T, 960 gpm
Secondary Loopfield 3 120 T, 480 gpm

• Geo-exchange system delivers energy for
  conditioning heat and domestic hot water
• Centralized loopfield has 800,000 ft of
  conduction piping
• Decentralized heat pumps produce hot water (COP
  3)
• Entire system powered by PV system ( 450 kW)

Primary Loopfield (6 MMBtu/hr)
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GEOS Technology
3.5 kW photovoltaic
R-50 roof
R-29 SIPS walls
R-5 tuned vinyl windows
R-22 ICF basement walls
Heat Recovery Ventilator
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GEOS Technology
Geo-Assisted Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV)
System

• Provides constant filtered fresh air
• Temperature equalization in all rooms
• Heating/cooling distribution
• Low maintenance
• Very low noise

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GEOS Technology

• Comparative development patterns in Highland
  neighborhood (urban Denver)
• Optimizing density with solar access designed
  (required) for entire neighborhood and individual
  lots
• Utilizes unique features of Colorados climate
• Sensible features take advantage of 300 sunny
  days per year open homes for winter sun, shade
  against summer heat

Passive solar optimal orientation for winter
heat (open south) and summer shade (covered east
and west) achieved with master orientation
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GEOS Technology
Solar Photovoltaic Meets All Electrical Needs
with 3.5kW of Installed Capacity Per Home
Each unit will have 3.5 kW of solar
photovoltaic panels 1.0 kW is dedicated to the
GSHP system The remaining 2.5 kW used for
domestic electrical needs
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GEOS Technology
Energy Consumption Reduction
Goes Objective Build Net Zero Energy Homes...
Now!
Natural Gas
Electricity
Ground Source Heat Pump 20
HRV Cooling 30
8,000 kWh 1,000
1,000 Therms 1,000
Passive Solar 30
Energy Star Appliance 20
High Performance Shell 40
Monitoring, 5
Photovoltaic Solar Offset 45
HRV, 10
Total Reduction 100
Total Reduction 100
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GEOS Economics
Goes Design Net-Zero Energy Homes That Are Cash
Flow Neutral
From NREL, for Boulder specific climate and
market
Homeowner cost for low energy home is the same
as minimum code home
low energy home requires 65 less energy
Average 1990s home
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GEOS Economics
Goes Design Net-Zero Energy Homes That Are Cash
Flow Neutral
Reduced utility payments offset increased
mortgage costs
Incremental monthly cash flows of Geos
improvements
151 saved energy costs

215 incremental mortgage
64 tax savings
32,000 incremental improvements
-52-
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GEOS Community

• It will take a community to make a GEOS

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Wonderland HillGuided tours down the rabbit hole
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Cohousing Sustainability through Community
4676 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304 Phone
303.449.3232 www.whdc.com
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Communities in Development by Wonderland

• Silver Sage Cohousing, Boulder, CO
• Nevada City Cohousing, Nevada City, CA
• Mason Street North, Ft. Collins, CO
• Cottonwood Cohousing, Arvada, CO
• Freeman Lane Cohousing, Grass Valley, CA
• Lyons Valley Village, Lyons, CO

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Completed Cohousing Communities by WHDC

• Nyland Cohousing, Lafayette, CO 1993
• Highline Crossing, Littleton, CO 1997
• Greyrock Commons, Ft. Collins, CO 1997
• Harmony Village, Golden, CO 1997
• Nomad Cohousing, Boulder, CO 1998
• Tierra Nueva, Oceano, CA 1999
• River Rock Commons, Ft. Collins, CO 2000
• Bellingham Cohousing, Bellingham, WA 2000
• Sonora Cohousing, Tucson, AZ 2001
• Hearthstone, Denver, CO 2001
• Pleasant Hill Cohousing, Pleasant Hill, CA 2001
• Casa Verde Commons, Colorado Springs, CO 2003
• Old Redwood Commons, Cotati, CA 2003
• Wild Sage, Boulder, CO 2004
• Oak Creek Commons, Paso Robles, CA 2004
• Stone Curves Cohousing, Tucson, AZ - 2005