MEET AT CO-HOUSING LOCATION: 3120 Wagon Wheel Rd

This session is a tour of the Bozeman Cohousing community from the project’s architect and co-founder. The projects integrates ancient technologies like a passive downdraft cooltower with contemporary air sealing and space conditioning to achieve extraordinary performance for production housing. Cohousing also leverages cooperation to drive community goals, which in this case are focused on sustainability at an achievable price point.

AIA CEU

This session offers a tour of Bozeman Cohousing with its architect and co-founder, exploring how ancient technologies like passive downdraft cooltowers combine with modern air sealing and conditioning to achieve high-performance, affordable housing. Participants will learn how cooperative design fosters sustainability, equity, and community engagement in innovative residential projects.

Prerequisite Knowledge:
None Required.

HSW Justification:
This course addresses Health by highlighting design strategies that improve indoor environmental quality and comfort; Safety by demonstrating resilient building systems and high-performance construction; and Welfare by promoting sustainable, affordable, and socially connected housing that enhances community well-being.

Learning Objective 1:
Demonstrate key design strategies and technologies that achieve high-performance, sustainable housing in the Bozeman Cohousing community.

Learning Objective 2:
Understand how participatory design and cooperative planning support social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

Learning Objective 3:
Evaluate the integration of ancient passive technologies with modern building systems to enhance occupant comfort and energy efficiency.

Learning Objective 4:
Apply lessons from the Bozeman Cohousing project to foster equitable, resilient, and community-focused housing in other contexts.

Erik Bonnett is a registered architect with deep expertise in sustainability and participatory design. His experience includes facilitating integrated design of innovative LEED and net zero carbon projects, while at Rocky Mountain Institute. His work focuses on integrating the economic, environmental, and social components of sustainability with a focus on equity and empowerment. Erik taught sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective at Montana State University and has published research on cost optimization of energy efficiency. He has worked to design and also found cohousing communities across the United States, including Bozeman Cohousing, as Net Zero Energy community and the first cohousing community in Montana.

AIA CE Credits: Yes