Green: Sustainability through Comprehensive Design

Mary Kraus, Kraus-Fitch Architects

From the initial design process through day-to-day neighborhood living, cohousing offers unique opportunities for creating a more sustainable society. Beginning with an outline of what is inherently sustainable about cohousing, this presentation will examine a wide range of sustainable design opportunities available to cohousing groups – from climate-sensitive site design and energy-efficient detailing to the bigger picture of relationships and context. Sustainability is not just about solar collectors – it’s about understanding how everything fits together to allow lower-footprint living.

Mary Kraus is a principal architect with Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc., specializing in cohousing and ecologically sustainable design. She has been living at Pioneer Valley Cohousing, the first cohousing community to be completed on the east coast, since move-in 14 years ago. Mary can be contacted at mkraus [at] krausfitch [dot] com.