Kraus Fitch Architects, Inc.

This project was a quick feasibility study for a client who wished to build congregate senior housing in Pelham Mass. The rendering was developed as part of this study.

Many cohousing groups, and architects, hire Kraus-Fitch Architects as a cohousing-expert consultant as part of a larger team.  Therefore much of our work is schematic and in collaboration with other designers.  Often we are hired to test the feasibility of a site, with site programming and preliminary site plans.  Our quick three-dimensional sketches have helped groups with their marketing to new members and their presentations towns officials.

Sawyer Hill will be a first of its kind: two cohousing communities purchasing a single site for joint development. Each community will be responsible for the design and development of their respective 3-acre footprints. While they will share many resources (overflow parking, open space and some common buildings), they have chosen to be architecturally distinct from each other. 50% of the land will be permanently conserved as open space.

Kraus-Fitch Architects has been serving as the “master planner” for the overall site design, and providing full services to one of the two communities, Mosaic Commons.

The study of the Pope Residence looked at code implications of modifications to an egress stair within a code-deficient multi-family residence. A Chapter 34 narrative listed all code deficiencies and proposed compliance alternatives. Several meetings were conducted with town inspectors to discuss various options.

Cohousing Slide Shows by Kraus-Fitch Architects

The following slide shows are available on CD form for power point presentations:

What is Cohousing - $5

Also available in French:

Qu’est ce que le cohousing?

This slide show gives prospective members and town officials an idea of what cohousing is all about. It includes lots of pictures of folks living, playing, and working in both rural and urban cohousing communities.

Senior Cohousing – under development

Cohousing Site Design - $25

This slide show illustrates with many photographs the important site design issues such as distance between units, parking strategies, accessibility and pedestrian walkways. It addresses the seasonal and regional issues of snow removal, summer shade, and winter sun and even looks at the seemingly mundane issues that you will regret overlooking without proper programming. It concludes with a tour of many North American Cohousing Communities – urban and rural.

Cohousing Common House Design - $25

How do you create a Common House to meet all the needs of your community – and to be the “living room” of the community? Kitchens, Great Rooms, Kids Room, Laundry and much, much more are explored and illustrated with photographs from many communities.

Cohousing Unit Design - $25

This slide show looks at all types of cohousing housing options – single family to apartment flats - the spaces within them, the relationships between them, and the materials that go into their construction. Customization is discussed in realistic terms.

Cohousing & Sustainable Design - $25

Cohousing presents a unique opportunity to build and live in more sustainable ways. This slide show looks at the big picture items, and the details without losing sight of cost effectiveness.

Getting the Work Done – A case study of “Affinity Work Teams” at Pioneer Valley Cohousing - $5

What happens once you move into cohousing? How do you get the common meals cooked and the grass mowed? This slide show gives the history and descriptions of several work systems that were tried at Pioneer Valley. It then explains why we chose to develop “Affinity Teams”, how we made the transition, and how this system works.

Set of 6 - $80

These slide shows can be ordered by sending a check and mailing address to:

Kraus-Fitch Architects

110 Pulpit Hill Rd.

Amherst, MA 01002

Kraus-Fitch Architects provides workshops for each of four critical aspects of cohousing community design: Visioning, Site, Common House and Unit Design. Using workshops can be an effective way to streamline the design process, by bringing everyone together at critical phases. Workshops serve to educate groups about cohousing design features, focus creative energy, and facilitate efficient decision making.

Each of our workshops is designed to mesh with and inform the overall design process whether Kraus-Fitch Architects are serving as the full service architects or as cohousing consultants. These workshops are advocated by Cohousing Resources (a cohousing development consulting firm) as an integral element in the “streamlined development method”.

By incorporating workshops in the design process, groups can take advantage of the cohousing expertise that we offer in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Through guided visualization and participatory process, we create an environment in which people can discover and develop their own ideas and aspirations. We help groups to find common ground while celebrating their diverse design preferences. Our approach involves active listening and a deep respect for our client’s needs and character. Our goal is to reach a design that is a direct reflection and integration of the group’s ideas.

After each workshop, we produce a written summary of the weekend’s work, draft a design program, and develop schematic design drawings.

More detailed information about the workshops is listed below, but please keep in mind that each workshop is tailored as requested to each group’s specific needs and preferences.

Typical Visioning Workshop

In a visioning workshop the typical role of Kraus-Fitch architects is to help your group write a vision statement that will not only help the marketing effort by attracting new members, but will inform the overall design effort that will be following in the months ahead. Getting clear on priorities up front can help groups stay on track later on.

Through various small and large group exercises, we help you list goals for the project, define and prioritize them.

A visioning workshop can typically be run in a single day. It may present an opportunity to include an educational slide show as described below in the longer weekend design workshops.

Typical Site Programming Workshop and Schematic Design

A weekend site programming workshop is usually run by both Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch. We begin with a Friday evening slide show, followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred site layout patterns and imagery.

Typical Common House Programming Workshop and Schematic Design

Our services typically include a weekend common house programming workshop run by Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch. We begin with a Friday evening slide show, followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred common house functions, relationships, and imagery.

Typical Unit Programming Workshop and Schematic Design

Unit programming workshops are designed to help groups decide on 3-5 standard housing units that work for their needs, the site, and the local market. These workshops are typically run by Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch, beginning Friday evening with a slide show, and followed by two full days of participatory work with the membership on Saturday and Sunday. During the weekend, we facilitate various group exercises and discussions aimed at determining the group’s preferred unit layouts, relationships of interior spaces, and imagery for exterior and interior design.

Typical Eco-Programming Workshop

Eco-programming workshops are designed to help make early decisions about the sustainable design strategies. It is hard to go back and correct plans that do not take green design into account from the beginning. We help groups define and priority strategies, and determine which methods will give them the biggest sustainable advantage for their money.

An Eco-Programming workshop can typically be run in a single day. It may present an opportunity to include an educational slide show as described above in the longer weekend design workshops.

What is specifically included in a weekend workshop?

Each of the Programming and Design Workshops listed above typically includes most of the following items:

Homework:

Having run numerous weekend participatory design workshops for cohousers, we have been struck by the intensity of having to accomplish so much work in so little time. We feel that we can alleviate some of this pressure, and create a more rewarding process, by having members do some preparatory work. To this end, we send out “homework”, outlining key questions about your site, common house or unit design requirements. This gives each member a chance to examine important design issues, so that they can approach the group exercises with a greater clarity.

We have had a lot of positive feedback about our latest approach to this preparatory work, which utilizes an on-line survey application that is easy to use, collate, and filter.

Homework may also include the gathering of images for use in assembling image boards during a group exercise.

Slide Presentation:

Workshops typically begin with a Friday night slide presentation, giving a tour of cohousing communities throughout the country. We then discuss, and illustrate through slides, issues that are key to the particular workshop (see below), and follow with a question and answer session. These slide presentations can be great marketing opportunities. This is always a nice way for the group to connect, for us to get to know members, and an inspiring way to start the weekend.

Site Workshop:

We will look at issues of proximity of units to each other and the common house, location of common house, orientation of pedestrian way, parking, solar access, and typical cohousing site amenities. We will show examples relevant to your own context: urban, suburban, or rural.

Common House Workshop:

We will focus our slide show on typical amenities and qualities of successful common houses, looking in substantial detail at dining room design and acoustics, kitchen layout, laundry and kids’ rooms.

Unit Workshop:

We will focus on typical amenities and qualities of successful units within cohousing. We also spend some time reviewing typical amenities within the common house that supplement private homes in cohousing.

Workshop Exercises:

On Saturday and Sunday, we run the programming workshop proper. The agenda is refined based on each group’s particular needs and site, but it typically includes the following exercises:

Site Analysis (site workshop): If possible, we begin Saturday with an observation and analysis of the site. Workshop participants walk the site with us, noting observations about different characteristics of the site: sound, light, access, etc.

Imaging Exercise: We run a guided visualization, having you imagine doing different activities in different areas of your community, common house, or units. This is followed by a whole group go-round, in which you can hear each other’s ideas. We then note and record common themes. This exercise helps each individual to focus on their own visions and dreams, hear others’ visions, and gives everyone a chance to notice commonalities.

Small-Group Discussion Exercises: We like to provide a balance of whole-group time with time spent in smaller sub-groups. The smaller groups give each person a chance to speak more, give you an opportunity to connect and get to know each other better, and permit you to sort out more ideas and come to some conclusions. Using these exercises as a precursor to whole group discussion, it is generally easier to arrive at consensus within the larger group.

Whole-Group Discussion: It is important for the whole group to come together and participate in the design decisions. We facilitate your process of coming to consensus on your design priorities, helping you to listen actively to each other. This process helps to build the social community, while designing the built community.

Image Boards: We usually have groups assemble boards of images they have brought in. These illustrate what you want your community, common house, or units to look and feel like, and serve as a basis for the aesthetic of your overall design.

Site Plan Block Exercise: One of the most engaging parts of the Site Workshop is working with your neighbors on a hands-on model of your site plan. Using to-scale blocks, you explore different ways to arrange the individual units and common house within your site. The whole group provides feedback on the different patterns that emerge, and this information guides the schematic design process.

Common House Block Exercise: This exercise involves working with your future neighbors on a hands-on model of your common house floor plan. Using to-scale paper “blocks” representing rooms and areas, you explore different ways to arrange the space within your common house. The whole group provides feedback on the different patterns that emerge, and this information guides the schematic design process.

Unit Typology Exercise: We present typical cohousing unit layouts and review aspects such as openness, entry, kitchen relationship, etc. The goal is not necessarily to approve or revise a plan, but to look for the aspects which the members hold in common. While block exercises are routinely used in site and common house workshops, they would not be used in a unit design workshop unless specifically requested.

Schematic Design:

Following the workshop, schematic design is explored in one of two ways:

1. In-office design: When working as schematic design architects, we return to our office after the workshop to develop one to three schematic site plans (common house layouts / units floor plans) based on the information gathered during the workshop. This is usually done over the course of 1-3 weeks with reproducible schematic drawings as a final product. During this process, we will solicit information as necessary from the other professionals working on your project.
2. Design Charrette with local professionals: When working at a distance, our role is often that of cohousing consultant, with a local design firm covering other responsibilities. In this case, we spend the Monday following the workshop working with the local professionals to develop 1-3 schematic designs based on the information gathered from the workshop. It is then the responsibility of the local design professional to develop reproducible schematic drawings for your final review and use. We usually carry some time for consulting with this professional as they develop their designs further.

Typical Documentation:

We provide the following documentation:

• Summary of the weekend process: a written record of the agenda, and status of decisions – including decisions made and points for future consensus.
• Written design program: list of site, common house and unit design elements & spaces along with their qualities and relationships.

Kraus-Fitch Architects offers a wide range of services to commercial property owners and municipalities - from office space planning and historic storefront restoration, to large-scale mixed-use development planning.

This new manufacturing and office facility is designed to provide a nurturing and community-oriented working environment for all employees. The building centers on a large great room, in which workers meet each day for a healthy lunch, prepared in the adjacent kitchen. Offices are filled with natural light, and plants cascade down from a top-lit second-floor balcony. Local materials and a healthful interior environment are incorporated throughout, with particular attention to clean air in the manufacturing area. The building wraps around an inviting exterior courtyard, with elevations articulated to feel inviting and warm. For long-range planning purposes, the flexible design accommodates a future renovation into multi-family housing.

Laura Fitch as project architect for Margo Jones Architects.

Mansfield Training School is a 1,000 acre parcel, formerly used exclusively by the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation. Through a policy geared towards de-institutionalizing their clients, the State of Connecticut has gradually scaled down activities on the MTS campus, leaving many buildings and sites abandoned and in disrepair. Laura Fitch collaborated with Dodson Associates, Landscape Architects & Planners, in conducting a Master Plan Study to assess all buildings within the 270 acre study area, and determine areas best suited for housing and commercial development. The final architectural documents produced include:

• Structural and Architectural Assessments of all Structures,
• Comparative Cost Analyses for Development Options,
• Architectural Guidelines for Redevelopment, and
• Sketch Drawings illustrating Typical Housing and Commercial Building Types.

Kraus-Fitch Architects worked with the managers of Green Fields Market to re-design the deli and dining areas of this cooperatively-run health food grocery. The overarching goal was to improve customer circulation patterns and security. The kitchen was also re-designed to accommodate more work stations and to provide more separation between dishwashing and food preparation. The project included coordination of new air conditioning, electrical upgrades, and planning for a future elevator.

The Enlace Holyoke Family Network serves as a community center for Holyoke families. It provides numerous resources, including childcare services, parenting workshops, and adult ESL and GED classes.Renovations created childcare and romper rooms, offices and classrooms.

Western Mass Labor Action is an all-volunteer association that builds an organization of the lowest income members of our society—both empowering them to stand up for their rights, and helping them with immediate problems such as lack of available health care and utility shut-offs. Offices for WMLA are housed on the main floor, while the floor above provides a 3-bedroom apartment for the volunteer staff.

This project includes a cluster of 6 homes on the end of an existing residential street. The housing includes duplexes and single family homes as well as an accessible unit. Clustering the homes encourages neighborly interaction while preserving much of the site behind the development.

The one thousand square foot, 3-bedroom homes are efficient, affordable, and liveable in their design. Most of the homes have good solar orientation in all living spaces and bedrooms, while stairs and storage are concentrated on the north, or on shared “party” walls. Narrow home layouts allow adequate fire separation between homes and plenty of natural light within them.

This study looked at the feasibility of converting a rest home in a historic, code-deficient Victorian mansion into a senior center or senior housing. A full Chapter 34 narrative documented all code deficiencies and suggested possible compliance alternatives. Schematic floor plans illustrated how a new addition, including new egress stair, might be added without detracting from both the exterior and interior historic structure.

This study looked at the feasibility of converting a rest home in a historic , code-deficient Victorian mansion into a senior center or senior housing. A full Chapter 34 narrative documented all code deficiencies and suggested possible compliance alternatives. Schematic floor plans illustrated how a new addition, including new egress stair, might be added without detracting from both the exterior and interior historic structure.

Kraus-Fitch Architects provided consulting services to Pine & Swallow Associates for a comprehensive feasibility study of a historically significant, but long-vacated building in downtown Orange, MA.

KFA documented existing conditions, reviewed structural analysis, and drew schematic floor plans for various options for redevelopment. With these plans and corresponding outline specifications, KFA worked with a cost estimator to provide estimates that were vital to determining project feasibility.

Kraus-Fitch Architects enjoys the process of helping clients evaluate the best strategies for the development of their property. Sometimes this takes the form of a traditional feasibility study. If an existing building is involved, it always begins with a Chapter 34 review.

Chapter 34 Narratives have become increasingly important in the redevelopment of existing buildings. Nearly all of the older building stock is code deficient in some way. We begin our process with a thorough investigation of existing conditions and building code review. We determine what actually needs to be brought up to code, and then work with our clients to determine the best strategies for achieving this. We look at compliance alternatives when straight forward upgrades cannot be achieved. We’ve maintained a good working relationship with building officials who often refer us when commercial clients inquire about the process for renovating their property.

Laura Fitch as project architect for Margo Jones Architects.

In 1991 The Bement School, a private K-8 campus located in the historic center of Deerfield, took on the design of a new classroom building. This red “carriage house” was built with a heavy timber frame and structural, insulated panels. The next building construction project in 1993 involved gutting an existing “barn”, converting the space into a gymnasium, and adding an arts wing. The new Academic Building and the new Arts Wing at The Bement School blend neatly into the historic context of Old Deerfield.

Winner of “School Building Design Awards” from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, 2006.
Laura Fitch as project architect for Margo Jones Architects

The work for Crocker Farm Elementary School represented a complete transformation of a previously well constructed, but worn-out and crowded, neighborhood school. With 19,000 SF of additions and 50,000 SF of renovations the school now houses the district-wide preschool program as well as a new library.

Mechanical and electrical systems were replaced, and structural repairs to existing flat roofs were made to address snow loading issues. Classroom storage cubbies and finishes were upgraded and natural daylighting in many of the existing class, music and art rooms was improved with new skylights.

The Preschool Addition includes four classrooms and administrative offices. The preschool is a district-wide program which is run independently from the elementary school and therefore has a separate parking area, drop-off, and entrance.

Recognized for “Excellence in Design” (1998) from Western Massachusetts A.I.A., Sanderson Academy is child-friendly and contextual. It is sited to shelter the bus arrival from bitter winter winds, while framing views to the west.

Also given the 2001 Northeast Green Building Award from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association:

Judges’ Comments: “A successful, healthy building. It includes a remarkable collection of green attributes given the budget realities of small-town public school financing. The building teaches its inhabitants about the region and history through its form and materials”.

As project architect for Margo Jones Architects, Laura’s original design parti for this rural school was one of a central community core with four semi-independent wings. Two of these wings served to protect a southeast entrance while the other two wings embraced the views to the blustery northwest. The core of the building showcases the library as the “center of learning” and houses administration. One of the wings (with gymnasium, stage, and cafeteria) is open to the core for community events in the evenings. Interior finishes were chosen (in consultation with Mary Kraus) to enhance indoor air quality.

Pomeroy Commons is a mixed-use development on the bus line in South Amherst. The project includes five condominium units with shared laundry facilities, and two commercial / retail spaces. An open balcony provides egress and allows residents to overlook the street and linger with neighbors. Individual deck balconies at the back of the building create a personal outdoor space for each unit, and look out toward an undeveloped natural area beyond the small parking lot.

After living on-site for five years, the members of Two Echo Cohousing in Brunswick, ME embarked on designing and building their common house. We helped them with the initial programming, and tested several schematic designs against a tight budget before ultimately providing full services through construction. The completion of their common house has brought the community together in ways they had only dreamed of before.

Jamaica Plain Cohousing consists of 30 apartment flats and townhouses and a common house on a 3/4 acre “brownfields” site. The site is traversed by an underground stream culvert, severely limiting the footprint of the building. This easement is crossed at the second and third floor levels with exterior corridors to make all units accessible from the elevator in the Common House.

The Common House is integral with a central courtyard and green space which can be seen from the balconies and walks that provide access to all of the units. It includes a great room, children’s play space, kitchen, and guest suite, as well as private office spaces with a separate entrance.

Programming and preliminary design of the site, common house and units, as well as consulting and review for the common house design development by Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. Full services by Domenech, Hicks and Krockmalnic of Boston.

Pathways Cohousing is a 24-unit Cohousing community on a 46-acre wooded site near Northampton, Massachusetts built in 2000. The housing units are situated in three clusters with a common house at the apex of this clover leaf plan. This building supports the community with dining facilities, guest rooms, children’s play space, and meeting and living rooms.

While parking is convenient to all units, the interior of the site is car-free, providing a safe and supportive place for children to grow and thrive. The layout of the housing units successfully balances individual privacy (private back yards and woods views for each unit) with the richness of community (front porches close to the pedestrian way).

The general site design is sensitive to land use, leaving most of the wooded site undeveloped. The buildings are sited with respect to solar access, and energy-efficient construction practices were used. Materials and systems were selected to minimize ecological impact and maximize indoor air quality.

The Homes at Pathways Cohousing were designed to be solar tempered and energy efficient, as well as comfortable and inviting. All four unit types have front porches, which provide a bridge between public and private spaces. The houses are scaled to feel friendly to the people on the pedestrian way, with low eaves on some units.

Pioneer Valley Cohousing (PVCH)became the first cohousing neighborhood in the Eastern United States. It continues to prove itself a profound model of ecological, community-based housing to which visitors and scholars flock.

PVCH is the home to both Laura Fitch and Mary Kraus, as well as the Kraus-Fitch office. Mary was part of the original architectural team along with Bill Austin and Peter Kitchell. Laura was a member of the client design team, and later became the representative to the client group during construction. Since move-in, KFA has helped design many additions to the homes, including porches, mudrooms, and finished attics.

PVCH is a 32-household cohousing community with a 5,000 SF commonhouse. While semi-rural, the community is conveniently located within walking distance of North Amherst village center and several bus lines. Seventy-five percent of the 23-acre site was left undeveloped of buildings and roadways, maximizing conservation and clustering houses to support community interaction. Thirty percent of the units meet affordability goals set by the town of Amherst. The housing fronts a pedestrian walkway on the sloped land, leaving the better agricultural acres available for a community garden.

The buildings are oriented to maximize solar gain, and the construction incorporates superinsulation of the exterior envelope. Materials and systems were selected to minimize ecological impact and maximize indoor air quality.

I was drawing floor plans at age 8, and could amuse myself for hours at 12 imagining buildings and what it would be like to be inside of them. I took a detour into fine arts as a teenager, and studied painting, printmaking, weaving, and art history in college. I continued to think in 3 dimensions as I went through a landscape design graduate program, and after a few years in that field jumped at the opportunity to use my design and CAD skills for Kraus-Fitch Architects.

I am fascinated by the natural world, which informs and directs my design work. Ideally, I feel that architectural and landscape design should proceed simultaneously and always with a deep appreciation for the local, natural and historic landscape. Cohousing has interested me for years, as it seems a deeply sensible response to the travesty of our fossil fuel-driven and disparate suburban culture. I have welcomed the opportunity to work within a cohousing community, and my enthusiasm grows as I learn more about it each day.

I continue to be interested and active in the fine arts, and have recently displayed my artwork in several local galleries and juried art shows. I belong to the Shelburne Art Coop in Shelburne Falls, MA, where I sell my work, and I occasionally teach classes for children and adults. I spend as much time as possible outdoors with my two dogs.

This is all made possible by the immense amount of chocolate that I consume every day.

• PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
• Cohousing Tour Guide for bi-annual bus tour of Massachusetts area cohousing communities; 2004-present
• Comprehensive Planning Commission - Housing Work Group; 2007
• Amherst School Building Committee - Wildwood and Fort River Elementary Schools; 2007 (present)
• Executive Committee Member and Secretary of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; 2005-present
• Newsletter Editor of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; 2002 - 2005
• Town Hall Restoration Committee, Amherst MA; 1995
• Cherry Hill Golf Course Advisory Committee, Amherst, MA; 1995-1997
• SELECTED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
• “Cohousing Site Design Workshop” and “Facilitating Effective Design Workshops”, 2006 National Cohousing Conference, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; July 2006.
• “Open Session with Green Architects - Green Building Design Options”; Co-op Power’s Northeast Regional Sustainable Energy Summit, Northampton, MA, May 2006
• “Cohousing In the Pioneer Valley”, public presentation to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, September 2003.
• “How to Design a Common House your Community will Love (and Use)”, 2003 National Cohousing Conference, Boulder Colorado, June 2003.
• “Building Cohousing: a nuts-and-bolts approach”, panel discussion participant, Build Boston Conference 2001
• “See What it Feels Like: A Hands-On Site Planning Exercise”, The 2001 North American Cohousing Conference, University of California, Berkeley, July 2001.
• PUBLIC DESIGN PROJECTS & COMPETITIONS:
• Atkins Corner Design Workshop – Participant; Amherst, MA, 1999
• Amherst Visions – Participant in Comprehensive Planning Public Charrette; Amherst, MA 1998
• New England Holocaust Memorial Competition Entry; Boston Massachusetts, 1991
• “Our Lives Have Changed, Our Housing Hasn’t”, Alternative Housing Charrette (on cohousing for single women in Cambridgeport, MA) sponsored by the Women in Architecture committee of the Boston Society of Architects and the Women’s Institute of Housing and Economic Development, Boston, MA, October 1991.
• SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
• “Reaching Beyond Ourselves - foster parenting In community” and “Annual Retreat at Pioneer Valley Cohousing“ - two stories contained within Reinventing Community, Stories from the Walkways of Cohousing by Dave Wann.
• “Sharing the Wealth of Community with Foster Children”, Communities, Journal of Cooperative Living, Winter 2004
• Home Officing in Pioneer Valley Cohousing”, CoHousing, journal of The Cohousing Network, Winter 2001.
• SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
• Visiting Critic: Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, design studio on affordable housing, 2002
• Studio advisor: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Advisor to student on elementary school design project , 1997
• Visiting critic: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, design studio on school design, 1996
• Visiting critic: Williams College, Williamstown, MA, design studio on museum design, 1995

• PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
• Cohousing Tour Guide for bi-annual bus tour of Massachusetts area cohousing communities; 2004-present
• Comprehensive Planning Commission - Housing Work Group; 2007
• Amherst School Building Committee - Wildwood and Fort River Elementary Schools; 2007 (present)
• Executive Committee Member and Secretary of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; 2005-present
• Newsletter Editor of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; 2002 - 2005
• Town Hall Restoration Committee, Amherst MA; 1995
• Cherry Hill Golf Course Advisory Committee, Amherst, MA; 1995-1997
• SELECTED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
• “Cohousing Site Design Workshop” and “Facilitating Effective Design Workshops”, 2006 National Cohousing Conference, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; July 2006.
• “Open Session with Green Architects - Green Building Design Options”; Co-op Power’s Northeast Regional Sustainable Energy Summit, Northampton, MA, May 2006
• “Cohousing In the Pioneer Valley”, public presentation to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, September 2003.
• “How to Design a Common House your Community will Love (and Use)”, 2003 National Cohousing Conference, Boulder Colorado, June 2003.
• “Building Cohousing: a nuts-and-bolts approach”, panel discussion participant, Build Boston Conference 2001
• “See What it Feels Like: A Hands-On Site Planning Exercise”, The 2001 North American Cohousing Conference, University of California, Berkeley, July 2001.
• PUBLIC DESIGN PROJECTS & COMPETITIONS:
• Atkins Corner Design Workshop – Participant; Amherst, MA, 1999
• Amherst Visions – Participant in Comprehensive Planning Public Charrette; Amherst, MA 1998
• New England Holocaust Memorial Competition Entry; Boston Massachusetts, 1991
• “Our Lives Have Changed, Our Housing Hasn’t”, Alternative Housing Charrette (on cohousing for single women in Cambridgeport, MA) sponsored by the Women in Architecture committee of the Boston Society of Architects and the Women’s Institute of Housing and Economic Development, Boston, MA, October 1991.
• SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
• “Reaching Beyond Ourselves - foster parenting In community” and “Annual Retreat at Pioneer Valley Cohousing“ - two stories contained within Reinventing Community, Stories from the Walkways of Cohousing by Dave Wann.
• “Sharing the Wealth of Community with Foster Children”, Communities, Journal of Cooperative Living, Winter 2004
• Home Officing in Pioneer Valley Cohousing”, CoHousing, journal of The Cohousing Network, Winter 2001.
• SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
• Visiting Critic: Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, design studio on affordable housing, 2002
• Studio advisor: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Advisor to student on elementary school design project , 1997
• Visiting critic: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, design studio on school design, 1996
• Visiting critic: Williams College, Williamstown, MA, design studio on museum design, 1995

“…the collaborative design process they used with our group was very clear and supportive.  We always felt we were equal partners in the final outcome and that our ideas were taken into consideration every step of the way.  Their understanding of the way cohousing works and their ideas about designing space to bring out the best of a communtiy were excellent…I have to say that designing and building a community of this size with this much homeowner involelment was an extraordinary feat.  It took patience, skill, long hours in meetings and constant consultation with many different stakeholders.  Laura and Mary did all this and more to assure that we had the community we all envisioned.  I highly recommend them to anyone designing a cohousing community.

- Marie Silver, resident at Pathways Cohousing

“Every once in a while I get an opportunity to praise the work of people who have made our cohousing design and development process work more easily.  I’m delighted to do this for you because your work on Takoma Village was a life saver!  I’m still counting my blessings.

 - Ann Zabaldo, cohousing consultant and resident of Takoma Village

“Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch did an outstanding job on the programming for our site, common house, and individual units.  They skillfully facilitated the design meetings, giving everyone a chance to be heard, but not allowing one voice to dominate.  They gave us their opinions when we requested them, but did not try to unduly influence the group.  They also successfully collaborated with another architectural firm in order to pull together the design for our common house kitchen.  Because of this collaboration I feel we will have one of the most beautiful and functional common house kitchens in the country..  I would recommend them without hesitation to work with other cohousing or nonprofit groups on programming, site, and unit design.

- Diane Simpson, resident at Jamaica Plain Cohousing

“Two Echo’s successful working relationship with Mary and Laura is founded on their deep knowledge of and direct expereince with cohousing and cohousing design, and their ability to lead a group through a process involving many design decisions…The two Echo common house design is practical and efficent; it is sensitive to both the design progam and to our tight budget…When I review the design process for the Two Echo common house in my mind, I am especially pleased that we made the choice to work with architects as well versed in cohousing as Kraus-Fitch Architects.

- Rob Wiener, resident at Two Echo Cohousing

“Sounds like you guys did a great job at the workshop.  Thanks so much.  I have to tell you that I am impressed with you work…the refinement, and quality of both the experience and product you creat.”

- Chris ScottHansen, Cohousing dvelopment consultant, Cohousing Resources

“Here’s our thoughts after six months in our new house: It packs a lot of living into less than 1400 energy-efficient square feet. We love the old farmhouse look outside and the spacious, daylit, functional spaces inside. We got four bedrooms and a finishable basement in an affordably-priced house. The input of Kraus Fitch Architects in the community’s site design ensured that we had a cohousing community that had an intimate, neighborhood feel and aesthetic appeal, and functioned efficiently. We got all the spaces we wanted within a compact footprint and maintained substantial open space on the land.”

—Bill Farkas, a founding member of Pathways Cohousing & Design Committee Chair

“These skilled professionals go well beyond what’s required of the design process for cohousing groups – they care about and respect group members’ ideas and contributions, they lend creative thinking, and offer endless enthusiasm throughout the project – much needed qualities when the going gets tough!”

—Dyan Wiley, Pioneer Valley CoHousing

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Smart Growth Awards 2007

Category: Traditional Neighborhood Development

• Award of Excellence to Pioneer Valley Cohousing Community
• Certificate of Merit to Pomeroy Commons
• Certificate of Merit to Pathways Cohousing Community

The 2006 BAC Distinguished Alumni Award in Practice

To Laura Fitch, Class of 1991, from the Boston Architectural Center

“Architect, Facilitator, Visionary. You have been an essential force in forming dynamic, new communities. Your exceptional skill as a mediator has earned you the respect and admiration of your clients and colleagues. Because of you, Laura, many people have found more neighborly and sustainable ways to live. Through your work, our world is a better place.”

2005 “Top 10 Green Architects” from Natural Home and Garden magazine

Award Winning Projects

Crocker Farm Elementary School
Laura Fitch as Project Architect for Margo Jones, Architects

• 2006 School Building Design Award from Massachusetts School Building Authority

Pathways Cohousing Community

• 2000 Quality Building Council Award
  New Multifamily Residential Category
  Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

Sanderson Academy
Ashfield-Plainfield Elementary School
Laura Fitch as Project Architect for Margo Jones, Architects
Mary Kraus as materials consultant.

• Excellence in Design 1998
  From Western Mass. A.I.A.
• Northeast Green Building Award 2001
  From the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.
  Judges’ Comments: “A successful, healthy building. It includes a remarkable collection of green attributes given the budget realities of small-town public school financing. The building teaches its inhabitants about the region and history through its form and materials.”

Kraus-Fitch Architects strives to reduce indoor toxins and apply sustainable building practices in all our work. We believe in healthy environments both indoors and out. As a result, we have a comprehensive approach to sustainable and low-toxic building materials, practices, and design strategies, that we have applied to projects ranging from individual homes to cohousing communities and institutional buildings.

We have been researching and designing healthful indoor environments for over 10 years, and we have successfully met the challenge of achieving a healthful environment in low-budget situations. We bring this expertise to all our work, and clients can draw on our experience as they deem appropriate to their needs and resources.

Kraus-Fitch Architects enjoys the process of designing single-family houses. It is fulfilling to us as designers to enable our clients to realize their dreams. We pay attention to detail, and strive to bring comfort, beauty, and ecological sensitivity to the home and the neighborhood.

Two of our recent homes are working towards achieving Net Zero Energy use.

We recognize that each home we design is a reflection of our clients’ values and aspirations. Please talk to our clients who will attest to the fact that we are easy and fun to work with, mixing quality design services with good humor and patience.

Kraus-Fitch Architects provides quality services towards the creation of attractive and functional educational facilities. As project architect for 10 public and private elementary schools, Laura provides a wealth of experience designing educational facilities for young children.

KFA is committed to creating educational environments that are child-friendly and supportive of the staff and teachers who work within them. We pride ourselves in listening carefully to the users of each building, and bringing this information to the building committees for whom we have worked.

Laura has helped to bring many school projects in on budget, with durable materials and energy-efficient detailing, without sacrificing the design. Laura’s work on the Sanderson Academy in Ashfield, Massachusetts helped to bring recognition to the firm of Margo Jones, Architects. This project received an award for “Excellence in Design” by the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institutute of Architects. Her work on the renovations and additions for the Crocker Farm Elementary School in Amherst was recognized with a 2006 School Building Design Award by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Children and teachers need healthful interior environments to support their learning and teaching. Natural light, clean air, friendly materials and colors all add up to a better educational environment.

Kraus-Fitch Architects provides the services necessary to create successful and attractive commercial and institutional projects.

We have 16 years of award-winning work in commercial, educational and institutional architecture. As project architect for two Massachusetts-based firms, Laura has worked on eight public elementary schools, two private elementary schools, professional offices, libraries, historic renovations, handicap accessibility and code improvements for town halls, churches, and other public institutions.

Our past projects also include restaurant renovations, commercial kitchens, daycare designs, and work for socially oriented, nonprofit organizations.

Kraus and Fitch have successfully integrated programmatic functions with contextual design, bringing new construction harmoniously into historically and culturally significant areas. We insist on the use of durable materials and watertight detailing, while meeting budgetary constraints and aesthetic aspirations.

Kraus-Fitch Architects has years of experience designing Cohousing Communities, which support individual homeowners within the context of a nurturing and supportive neighborhood. We also offer this experience and sensibility into public, private, and elderly housing sectors.

Together Laura and Mary have experience in Public Housing, working for the Amherst, Springfield, and North Adams Housing Authorities, and private multi-family housing. Much of our work in revovation and upgrades begins with a thorough and necessary code research. We strive to build housing that will support a sense of home, community and caring among the tenants, while meeting stringent code and budgetary requirements.

Kraus Fitch Architects is nationally recognized as one of the most experienced firms working with cohousing.

Mary has been working with cohousing groups since 1990; Laura discovered her interest in cohousing during a trip to Denmark in 1980. We are both residents of Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, Massachusetts. Our experience as members helps us to understand the issues facing other cohousing groups, and gives us unique insight into the underlying interpersonal and group dynamics that affect the design process.

Cohousing is what we have chosen both personally and professionally, and we bring great enthusiasm and inspiration to our work with communities. Much of our early programming and schematic design is done with groups using on-line surveying and hands-on exercises. We have produced a number of educational slide shows that are available to groups, individuals and educators. We have visited and studied communities in North America and Denmark, and regularly help in the bus tours provided by the Cohousing Association of the US.

Kraus-Fitch Architects can offer a consultant team providing a full range of design and development services, from group dynamics and site search through construction. We recognize that some groups have their own preferred consultants and are open to working with the professionals of your choice, forming a team to suit the character of your particular group.

In addition to the social issues central to community design, the ecological concerns of sustainability are a primary focus for us. Many cohousing groups include sustainability as part of their mission statement, and we have helped them to reflect these goals in the built community. Our deep understanding of sustainability can help each group apply these issues to the extent that fits their particular goals.

Join a bus tour to learn more about cohousing here in New England or elsewhere.

Download one of our free cohousing educational slideshows.

I have enjoyed a meaningful and multi-faceted career in architecture, designing many building types from small additions to large municipal projects. Throughout this I have endeavored to integrate quality design with my keen interest in environmental and socio-economic issues. I first became aware of my interest in architecture as a young adult, when I simultaneously watched the construction of a particularly well-designed addition (utilizing lumber taken directly from the site) and the construction of an experimental passive/active solar house. As the 1970s “oil crisis” was in effect, I was acutely aware of the relevance of the latter, and chose to study at the School of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The focus of my studies was on “appropriate technology”, solar architecture and urban planning.In 1981, I spent a semester in Denmark and toured many of their new housing approaches. Ten years later, one of these models would be imported to this country as “cohousing,” and I would be caught up in the enthusiasm. I participated in the planning and development of the first East Coast community, Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, and have been a resident there since its completion in 1994.

Following service in the Peace Corps (Mali, West Africa) in 1984, I have been practicing in the architectural field for more than 20 years. I received a second architectural degree at the Boston Architectural Center in 1991, and became licensed by the Architectural Registration Board in the same year.

Since that time, I have acted as project architect on many municipal buildings ranging from theater renovations, libraries, professional offices, and recreational facilities to elevator and handicap access projects, with a primary focus on elementary schools. I have been project architect for numerous housing projects, most notably a new 24-unit cohousing community in Northampton, Massachusetts.

As an outdoor enthusiast and environmentalist, I have successfully sought to integrate the site into the built environment, and to incorporate sustainable practices that reduce the environmental footprint of each intervention. I enjoy the process of working with clients, engaging them in dialog, and allowing the design to reflect their dreams and programmatic goals. My experience living in cohousing, combined with a professional practice working with large building committees, has afforded me much opportunity to develop group process and facilitation skills.

I am the mother of two young children. I enjoy being a working mother, and take both professions seriously, allowing them to inform each other where appropriate, such as the design of classroom environments and cohousing communities.

My interest in architecture originally stemmed from my concern for environmental issues and alternative energy. Working on the construction of a solar house during my first year in college, I was inspired to pursue architecture as a positive way to address these issues.

Over time, I came to recognize that the community scale offered a greater range of environmental strategies than single houses and buildings. My interest quickly expanded to include the design of sustainable communities.

In 1990, after a variety of design experiences, I began working with my first cohousing project, Pioneer Valley Cohousing, first as a professional and later as a member. My understanding of community design expanded from ecological concerns to social aspects. I came to value both the design of supportive neighborhoods and a design process that brings people closer together.

Whether the client is a large cohousing group, a municipality, an individual or a family, I bring to all my work many of the facilitation and consensus-building skills I have learned living in and working with cohousing communities. In so doing, I have helped my clients create spaces that are nurturing, uplifting, and inspiring.

My design tendency is towards warmth, texture, elegant simplicity and human scale. I enjoy the challenge of combining the goals of ecological sustainability, healthful indoor environments, and affordability.

I value the richness of living in cohousing: knowing my neighbors well, being surrounded by friends of all ages, offering and receiving support from people nearby. And living in my own work surrounds me with a first-hand example of how community design can support human comfort and express delight.

At KRAUS-FITCH ARCHITECTS, INC. we believe that quality architecture involves carefully listening to and meeting client needs, relating buildings to the site and context of the surrounding community, and building in an ecologically and socially relevant manner. With over thirty years of collective experience in progressive architectural design, our buildings and communities are fresh and attractive. Both Mary Kraus and Laura Fitch are LEED™ 2.0 Accredited Professionals, certified by the Green Building Council.

Our approach emphasizes group process and active facilitation, to build consensus within families, communities, and building committees. In particular, we are known for our extensive experience in cohousing, having worked on numerous projects across the country. Mary Kraus is nationally recognized for her experience in this field. She is a founding board member of the Cohousing Network, a nonprofit organization responsible for the support of communities nationwide.

KFA has considerable experience designing commercial, institutional, and municipal projects. For the last ten years, Laura Fitch has become well known for her work on educational facilities for young children. Her educational projects are warm, child-friendly, safe, and distinctively attractive.

The buildings and communities designed by Kraus & Fitch are fresh, attractive, and well grounded. We look to the local building and environmental context to inspire our building forms and details. We have experience in historic renovations and the reuse of old buildings for contemporary functions.

We strive to create healthful interiors, through careful selection of materials. Our buildings are well insulated and carefully detailed, engineered, and sited to reduce energy use for the life of the building. We craft our structures with durable materials, emphasizing quality while meeting budget constraints.

Integrating architecture with community, environment and the quality of our lives, Kraus-Fitch Architects offers a full range of services with an emphasis on ecologically sound and socially responsible design.

Our interactive approach, and 30 years of collective experience, allows us to realize your vision with practical, innovative, and cost-effective solutions. We are considered one of the most experienced firms working with cohousing communities.