Meeting with the architects

The Reef
#1

A meeting with the architects in the week of 5 September?

Our coach Mark recommended that we set up a meeting with the architects. @matteomeschiari is in the lead for this.

They are on holidays for the moment, but the idea would be - if they agree - to meet up with as many Reeflings as possible in the week of 5 September.

The purpose of the meeting could be three-fold:

  1. Learning a bit more about the architects (Stekke + Fraas) and the process of building a cohousing
  2. Enlightening us a bit more about the architectural aspects of a cohousing
  3. Having a quick look at The Reef’s ambition to build a building that is as sustainable and future-proof as possible

Below you can find a list of more detailed questions that we could ask. @reeflings: if you have any others, can you please add them in this thread?

Possible questions we could ask them

1) Learning a bit more about Stekke + Fraas and the process of building a cohousing

Possible questions could include:

  • As architects, how do you generally like to work together with your cohousing clients?

  • Would you have a concise overview of the major milestones? Plus possibly things we should be aware of and prepare for?

  • The thing that Mark calls “le programme” (i.e. an approximate idea of the square meters + specifications for private units and common spaces): is there anything we should know about the format? Things we should pay attention to? …?

2) Enlightening us a bit more about the architectural aspects of a cohousing

  • Common spaces: in our charte fondatrice we have set out that we would like to have a lot of common spaces (300 m²), because we want The Reef to be a place of hospitality. Most of the details have yet to be filled in though. Would you be willing to give us your views on what works? What doesn’t work? Which considerations we have to make as a group? …?

  • Private units: my impression is that we struggle with picturing our own private units, e.g. how big it should be etc. Concrete example: I live in a 90 m² apartment that was built in the 1970s. Am I right in assuming that with current smart design techniques I could get the same comfort with 20% less space?

3) Having a quick look at The Reef’s ambition to build a building that is as sustainable and future-proof as possible

Depending on time I guess this part could also be tackled in a separate meeting, with Philippe and our Team Building.

Some questions (some of which are a bit urgent):

  • How will The Reef’s choice for future-proofing and sustainable building impact the budget? Note: by future-proofing we mean resilience to heat domes, heavy rain, power cuts and potable water shortages.

  • Which options exist? How can we approach this?

  • Would you be interested to join us to visit Schoonschip in Amsterdam?

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#2

Thanks Lie.
I would also be quite interested in their style and to see some examples of what they do. Beauty is one of our value after all :slight_smile:

Also I am interested to know how we can accommodate our different needs. Can we imagine to have a small selection of ‘building blocks’ to choose from for certain items (e.g. a 12m2 square vs a 24m2 square terrasse)? That way there is not too much extra work on drawing plans but we still get some choice. Or would that already increase substantially the costs?

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#3

I’m guessing this will be included in their presentation when they present themselves. I would manage your expectations on the esthetics front though. There were trade-offs to be made when we chose the architects, and we definitely favoured risk reduction over esthetics :slight_smile:

I look forward to a more detailed explanation about this from the architects, but I wouldn’t worry too much about this. What I understand is that Mark indeed suggests to work with modularity or building blocks (see this post about our meeting with Mark on 28/06, point 2 “the money”, 4th paragraph, about Ilot De Spiegel)