cultivating collaboration: lessons from cohousing studios
DESCRIPTION
How can we achieve excellence in design collaborations? Cultivating social trust, organizing logistical aspects, supporting information flow are essential to any community effort. The need for ownership makes artistic collaborations different from others. The pitfalls of ego competition can be avoided by appropriate team size, task organization and fallback options. To negotiate design priorities, team members must use critical thinking. This presentation illustrates techniques for team-building with examples from my University of Oregon design studios focused on intentional communities. While the examples come from architectural design, the lessons are applicable to many types of collaboration that involve shared information about complex problems.TRANSCRIPT
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Cultivating Collaboration:lessons from cohousing design studios
• Introduction• Setting the stage• Orchestrating Group Process• Communication Technology• Interactive Assessment• Conclusions & Next Steps
“Home & Community” collograph by Ruth Cohen
Nancy Yen-wen Cheng, University of Oregon
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Introduction
Rekindling community Designers lead problem-solversStudio Context & Description
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Rekindling community: a shared responsibility
• Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam: face-to-face rituals disappearing• Transient society: >40 million Americans move every year, ~10
million move between states
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Value of Design : Solving complex problems
• Integrated Practices: Collaborative process: Shared risk & rewards • Cultural Transformation needed for a change in thinking and processes
— The Toyota Way by Jeffrey K. Liker
Image courtesy of Green Building Services
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Virtual Design Studios
• How can virtual communities enrich and extend relationships?
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Virtual Design Studios
• Sharing design approaches, technical solutions and cultural contexts.
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Ecological Agenda
• Story & Icon
Melting globe from Chattahbox.com
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Ecological Agenda
Melting globe from Chattahbox.com
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Studio Background
from Scandinavian model of cooperative living
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
What is Cohousing?
1. Participatory process2. Intentional
neighborhood design3. Extensive common
facilities4. Complete resident
management5. Non-hierarchical
structure6. Separate incomes
-- McCamant & Durrett
Cohousing.org
individual units common space
common house activities
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Where are Cohousing Communities?
2008 survey by Betsy Morris, Ph.D., Coho/U.S.
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Chronology
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Design Phases
Four major deadlines 1 Research Case Study
2 Research Case Study
3 Site Design / Sustainable scope4 Site Design / Sustainable scope 5 Building Design
6 Building Design
7 Building Design
8 Re-integration
9 Re-Integration
10 Presentation
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Case Studies focus on an aspect of community
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Case Study : danish cohousing organization
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Setting the stage
Connecting to a larger communityUsing local resources
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Learn from local communties: Maitreya Ecovillage, Eugene, OR
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Creative building experiments: Maitreya Ecovillage, Eugene, OR
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Lost Valley Educational Center
Dexter, Oregon
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Experiencing building experiments: Lost Valley, Dexter, OR
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Connecting to a Larger Community : Corvallis Coho Ecovillage
• Meeting clients, using architect’s program & site information
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Connecting to a Larger Community : Corvallis Coho Ecovillage
Joy Rackley’s Corvallis Cohousing Spring 2005
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Oregon – Terminal Studio Community Design
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Connecting to a Larger Community : can later visit real project
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Orchestrating Group Process
Fostering TrustTeam sizeMultiple interaction modelsComplimenting, compensating for othersLeadership
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Fostering Trust
Interview a new classmate: background, talents, interests, activities• Discuss previous group experiences, identify positive factors
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Building trust: field trip, site documentation & analysis
• Meeting clients & walking the land creates motivations
• Shared activities reveal strengths and personality typesi.e. Cooking together
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Team size
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Multiple interaction models
-William Caudill, Architecture by Team
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
From competing to complementary roles
• i.e. divide by Time
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
From competing to complementary roles
• i.e. Divide by Task
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
From competing to complementary roles
• i.e. Divide by Territory
Image by Dave Brenneman
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Compensating for others
• Get expectations on the table early
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Failing
- Frances Bronet, Georgeanne Cooper
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Leadership
• Different styles work for different groups- Tree Bresen, Treegroup.org
The Slackers vs….. the Righteous
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Communication Technology
Digital advantage for group workflowInteractive Assessment
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Workflow pipeline
siteanalysis
design presentation reflection
TIME
program
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
diagrams
sketching
Digital Advantage to workflow pipeline
concept &skill prep
on-site measuring
digital model
renderings
portfoliosheets
existingdrawings
boardlayout
TIME
on-site photography
on-site interviews library/web
research
cardboardmodel
energy
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
diagramsdigital model
renderings
portfoliosheets
boardlayout
energy
sketching
Digital advantage to workflow pipeline
concept &skill prep
on-site measuring
existingdrawings
TIME
on-site photography
on-site interviews library/web
research
cardboardmodel
WIKI
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Wiki Example
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Digital graphics present a united front
By Ady Leverette, Peter Siu-kau Lo & Sienna Hill
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Site Plan & Diagrams
By Ady Leverette, Peter Siu-kau Lo & Sienna Hill
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Common House Development
• By Ady Leverette, Peter Siu-kau Lo & Sienna Hill
By Ady Leverette
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Scope increased for intermediate students
By Dan Roll, Brent Stuntzner, Kaelee Pearson, Erik Bischoff and Erin Pearce
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Landscape integrationConnects to city with market & restaurant, nature & bikers at river park
edge
By Dan Roll, Brent Stuntzner, Kaelee Pearson, Erik Bischoff and Erin Pearce
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Each person takes a housing type
Tight, private, social
By Kaelee Pearson
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Connecting to a larger community : Exhibit
Poster design by Tuan Vu
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Iterations Develop a Common Aesthetic
By Adam Franch, Trang Nguyen, & Tommy White
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Digital Presentation
By Adam Franch, Trang Nguyen, & Tommy White
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Challenging each other
By Adam Franch, Trang Nguyen, & Tommy White
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Digital-Physical mix
By Adam Franch, Trang Nguyen, & Tommy White
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Connecting to a larger community : Projects for Real People
Brendan Soens presenting
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Interactive Assessment
Set performance standardsInteractive Feedback
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Set performance standards
Topical Rubrics for• Site Design• Building Design• Sustainability
Overall Design Performance• Thinking• Process• Media
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Each Phase has summary and reflections
By Kayla Nelson
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
NAAB performance standards : Fall 2008 reflections
3 Graphic Skills 5 Formal Ordering Systems 7 Collaborative Skills12 Human Behavior15 Sustainability17 Site Conditions
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Online supplements face2face feedback
• Online Surveys help shy students express themselves
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Online Supplements face2face feedback
• Required Peer comments
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Conclusions & Next Steps
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Positive Aspects of Group Studios
+ ADVANTAGES - DISADVANTAGES
Builds teamwork skills Takes patience and time
Projects & presentations more comprehensive
Holds risk of conflict & frustration
Team gives more design feedback
Learning varies for each member
Talents recognized, skills shared
Fosters digital workflowAlternative media suits different learning styles
8 of 13 course evaluations said collaboration was a valuable challenge (16 in Fall ’07 class)
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Challenges of Group Studios & Coping Tactics
- DISADVANTAGES PRESCRIPTION
Takes patience and timeReduce structured time as large-group
Risk of conflict & frustration
Set expectations with readings, ground rules
Learning varies for each member
Require self-reflection about progress
6 of 13 students said production expectations were too high but 4 balanced that with comments like
“I worked hard but I feel I accomplished a lot!”
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Ingredient for top teams:
• Select membership• Foster rapport & risk-taking• Balance cooperation and competition
Intersection Repair at 22nd & Garfield, Eugene, OR
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
What makes it successful?
• Key Factors– Collaborator’s profiles– Shared goals, Valued
products– Scheduling logistics– Teamwork structure– Appropriate technology
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Teamwork strategy
• Consider participants’ profiles– Assign tasks according to
talents– Match complementary skills
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Teamwork strategy
• Tune the task to fit – Create goals suiting
motivations– Divide work by Time, Task or
Territory– Allow group opt-out & reform at
specific times
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Technology strategy
• Keep it simple : one website & password links to everywhere • Fit tools to targets, tasks & talents• Alternative methods for different learning styles• Backup channels for problems
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Workflow strategy:
• Challenge assumptions • Redesign the way we work & live
– Reconsider the goals, processes and assessment
– Structure teams to support goals
• Action, feedback & reflection: – Process, not product
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Next Steps
• Electronic Portfolios as Community Learning Environments: Facebook for education
• Wordpress MU / BuddyPress: Consolidating blog entries by tags
Image by Kathy Sucher, San Jose State University
Cultivating Collaboration : Nancy Yen-wen Cheng
Nancy Cheng’s contact info
http://www.uoregon.edu/~nywc [email protected] (541) 346-3674