GlossaryGlossaryLight clay is an amalgm of straw and clay used as a building material.
It is called 'light clay' after the German Leichlehmbau ~ light-earth-building ~ to distinguish it from various 'heavy' forms of earth construction such as adobe and cob, which also contain earth and straw. Light clay / straw clay is mostly straw, with a small amount of clay used as a binder. The technique is a variant of strawbale building.
For more on building with light clay, see our feature article,
Natural Building Techniques.
Pattern
LanguagePattern language is a concept first presented by Christopher Alexander and his co-authors in the book A Pattern Language (Oxford University Press, New York 1977).
The authors identify 250+ patterns of elements and systems in the physical environment - the natural environment and especially the human-made environment. The essential premise of A Pattern Language is as follows: Humans shape their environment. When humans do any activity repeatedly, it generates a pattern in the physical environment that corresponds to that activity. Very basic human activities that are repeated often - such as eating, sleeping, working, learning, worshiping, courting, raising children and so on - generate strong and lasting patterns. Patterns can be 'alive' or 'dead'. That is, live patterns support us in living fully; dead patterns hinder us.
Taken together, patterns can form a language of design. There can be many such design languages; the "truth" of any language is based in how well it expresses the heart of the matter, the wholeness of human-envirnoment relationships.
We heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in planning or design, at any scale.
For more, visit the Pattern Language website
Sustainable
design and/or construction, aka 'green' building'Sustainability' has been defined as practices that meet the needs of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There is a great deal of discussion in design and construction circles on the topic, and widely varying opinions as to exactly how this can be accomplished. There is also much being written, with references too numerous to list here. We've contributed our little summary on sustainable construction which we share with project team members and clients.
We've also compiled our short-list of materials directories that describe and evaluate 'green' building materials and practices.
A few sustainable building websites we like:
(photo) retaining wall made from a recycled concrete driveway -- Sonya Sullivan, builder.
In a review of The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community (Peter Katz McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994), New Urbanism is described this way:
A combination of the best traditional planning and modern technologies, New Urbanism emphasizes the power of good design to enhance the quality of our lives. It can assist in the design of appropriate land use patterns, growth limits, energy sources, environmental balance, and social integration. It's main goals include the restoration of community, the integration of social elements severed by suburban development, and the reconciliation of urban and natural environments.
For more, visit the website of the Congress for the New Urbanism
And see our feature article about Traditional Neighborhood Design in a 100 year old Madison neighborhood
Cohousing is a form of cooperative
community that is resident developed and run, and which combines
individual dwelling places with the advantages of community living.
Katie McCamant, co-author (with husband Chuck Durrett) of the book Cohousing - A New Approach to Housing Ourselves, likens cohousing to "a custom built neighborhood". Pioneered in Scandinavia, cohousing has caught on in the U.S. in recent years, with hundreds of active groups at various stages of the housing development process.
Design Coalition is a Sustaining Member of the The Cohousing Network
Participants at the
first Madison, Wisconsin cohousing workshop, February 1991
Cohousing Tools are worksheets and design & planning aids from workshops Desgn Coalition presented in the early 1990's. They are now available again for downloading.
For more on cohousing in Madison, Wisconsin, see our Village Cohousing project
For more information on cohousing in the USA, visit The Cohousing Network website