Designing for Connection: A Look Inside Our Fourth Design Workshop
On February 21st, our community gathered with Cornerstone Architects for our fourth design workshop. It was an inspiring day of collaborative planning at the beautiful Gorge Pavilion. Surrounded by Japanese-inspired architecture and lush gardens with views of the water, it was the perfect setting to refine the vision for our future home.
At Esquimalt Village Cohousing, we aren’t just building a structure; we are building the foundation for how we will live together. Here is an inside look at the progress we made during this latest milestone.
Members take part in a voting exercise to register their preferences for exterior cladding materials on the building.
Refining the Big Picture
With our rezoning application officially submitted, we spent time discussing constructive feedback from Esquimalt’s municipal staff. Our primary focus remains on ensuring a safe, welcoming, and vibrant street presence.
Architect Gesa Zellerman reviewed plans for a "friendlier" sidewalk interface and explored adjustments to ensure our communal open spaces remain unobstructed and full of life. A highlight of the discussion was our commitment to a generous "front porch" interface on Esquimalt Road—a design choice specifically intended to encourage connection with the broader neighbourhood.
Architect Scott Kennedy of Cornerstone presents reference photos at the Design Workshop.
Smart Amenities & Sustainability
One of the most exciting parts of the cohousing process is fine-tuning our shared spaces to ensure they work for everyone. During the workshop, we moved several key features closer to reality:
Gardens & Greenery: We identified the sunny northwest corner of the property as the ideal spot for our future vegetable gardens.
Shared Workshop: We discussed an efficient maintenance hub that consolidates bike repair and workshop spaces, featuring direct exterior access for moving gear easily.
Solar Ready: We confirmed that our roof will be designed to be solar-ready, preparing us for future sustainable energy options from day one.
Architect Gesa Zellerman presenting to the community about building material and colour concepts.
A Member-Driven Aesthetic
What will our home actually look like? Cornerstone Principal Scott Kennedy presented a series of photos capturing various building materials, colors, and textures.
Members engaged in a "dot voting" exercise to share which aesthetics resonated most. The early consensus points toward durable masonry for the ground floors to provide a sense of permanence and "groundedness." For the upper residential levels, we are exploring a variety of materials and colors to create a soft, articulated look that feels warm and residential.
Equity Member Barb Whittington shares a moment with an Associate Member.
Flexible Living & Private Spaces
While our common house is the heart of the community, our private homes are where we will recharge. Unit layouts remain a major topic of conversation as we look for ways to maximize both comfort and efficiency.
We explored rearranging some bathrooms and bedrooms to enable "co-living"—flexible arrangements that allow households to be comfortably shared, lowering individual costs. We also discussed the balance of private balconies, ensuring everyone has their preferred level of personal connection to the outdoors while maintaining a cohesive and beautiful building design.
Join Us for the Next Step
The design of Esquimalt Village Cohousing is a living process, shaped by the people who will eventually move in. If you’ve been following our journey and want to have a seat at the table for our next workshop, we invite you to learn more about becoming an Associate Member.
