Exploring collaborative design and sustainable living in British cohousing communities

Cohousing is a new collaborative housing concept to foster closer social bonding and sustainable communities. This paper discusses the key principles, priorities, and challenges of Cohousing design through interviews with four architects and four Cohousing community residents. The interviews were carried out 1) to demonstrate the application of the design standards, 2) to understand residents’ thinking and behaviour change, and 3) to establish the environmental and social sustainability in a cohousing setting. The findings could lead to a toolkit and guide for Cohousing design process and to establish a better understanding of Cohousing design and development process in the UK.