Contemporary Vernacular Design

Lessons from Co-Housing

Place and Landscape

All of these co-housing and self-build schemes have created a very distinctive place. You would not refer to the Springhill scheme as being ‘very Stroud’, or even ‘very English’ – and this applies to all of the schemes. However, this way of building is truly a vernacular way of building today. These case studies show that when people build together, the result can be better-quality, more successful housing, built around well-thought-out places that encourage community. The care and thought that has gone into these homes makes them entirely appropriate for their context, both in terms of geography and time.

Design

All of the designers I interviewed mentioned the need to be ‘ego-less’, to act only ...