One way to think about the design of a common house is to consider design patterns as Grace Kim does in a series of blog posts on the Schemata Workshop blog.  Her description of the series is below: 

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.

Click these links for articles in the series:

Cohousing Pattern #1 – Activity Nodes

Cohousing Pattern #2 – Local Town Halls

Cohousing Pattern #3 – Main Building

Cohousing Pattern #4 – Centrally Located Common House

Cohousing Pattern #5 – Degree of Publicness

Cohousing Pattern #6 – Gatekeepers

Cohousing Pattern #7 – Local Centers: Satellite Activity Nodes