Communal Living- 

Iroko Housing Co-op

The scheme

Iroko Housing Co-operative was completed in 2001 and officially opened by the Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London in March 2002. Of the 59 homes, 32 are five-bedroom houses, 6 are three-bedroom maisonettes and there are 21 one- and two-bedroom maisonettes and flats (including one flat designed for a wheelchair user) designed around a communal garden. At basement level is a public car park. On the ground level are two corner shops and limited residential parking (21 spaces).

 

The brief

The brief was to fully exploit the site’s potential for large family homes with individual gardens whilst also providing for smaller households to create a healthy mix. All the homes have private open space, gardens, terraces or balconies – but a shared garden was also essential.

Architects Haworth Tompkins response was to arrange the homes on three sides of an open courtyard allowing communal space to be maximised in the form or a large landscaped garden with designated play areas. The fourth side of the square will be completed by the Stamford Street neighbourhood centre.

The scale and streetside elevations of the housing reflect its urban setting. On Coin Street and Cornwall Road five-bedroom terraced houses are four storeys high, with an attic room set back from the street elevation and opening on to a generous roof terrace overlooking the courtyard garden. The Coin Street terrace also includes two three bedroom maisonettes, again with roof terraces, above a two-bedroom flat designed for wheelchair use.

On Upper Ground, the height is increased in response to the busy urban character of the street and the massing of building opposite. Three storey houses are topped by two-storey maisonettes reached by a broad communal terrace again overlooking the garden. the corners of the Upper Ground terrace are marked by two shops at ground level, with one-, two- and three-bedroom flats and maisonettes above.

The elevational treatment of the houses acknowledges their dual aspect. The street elevations are expressed as a crisp brick screen with deep window reveals. A lighter touch, with pre-weathered zinc cladding, is used at the upper storey levels where the elevations step back. On the courtyard side the palette of materials has been carefully chosen to weather and mature with the landscaping. The concrete frame is expressed, with the edges of slabs and the faces of columns on party wall lines exposed. The infill cladding is vitex cofassus, a naturally durable hardwood from managed sustainable sources. It needs no preservative treatment or applied finishes, thus reducing maintenance costs. The same timber is used for horizontal sunshades and balcony decking.

Design team

Architect/Project Manager: Haworth Tompkins Architects
Consultant Engineer: Price & Myers
Mechanical & Electrical Services Engineer: Atelier Ten
Quantity surveyor: Davis Langdon & Everest
Planning Supervisor: Housing Association Property Mutual
Landscape Architect: Camlin Lonsdale
Main Contractor: The Mansell Group

Awards

Design for Homes Housing Design Project/Regeneration Award (2001)
Design for Homes Housing Design Completed Project Award (2002)
ROOM National Partnership Awards (2002)
Blueprint Architecture Awards 2002 - Best Residential Building
RIBA Award 2002

For information on how to apply for social housing, please click here.

Energy efficiency

The buildings have been designed on low energy and sustainable design principles. Passive solar panels have been incorporated, providing free hot water to residents for most of the summer and reducing demand on the heating system for the rest of the year. High efficiency gas fired condensing boilers, heat recovery and ventilation systems, low-e double glazing and a high degree of air tightness reduce energy consumption and bills whilst providing better air quality.

Density

68 dwellings per hectare (PPG3 suggests 30-50 dwellings per hectare)
332 habitable rooms per hectare (London Borough of Lambeth’s planning guideline 210 habitable rooms per hectare, an increase of 58%)

Funding

The total cost of the scheme £14.5m funded by:

£5.5m Housing Corporation grant

£0.33m SRB Challenge Fund 

£2.67m CSS borrowing 

£6.00m CSCB borrowing

UK social enterprises triumphant as Lords pass the Social Value Bill

28 February 2012

Chris White MP, in the House of Commons

We expect this legislation to put the brakes on firms who want to cream excessive profits from taxpayers’ money.

Social Enterprise UK CEO Peter Holbrook



A member of parliament’s 20-month crusade to inject social value into the way public services are commissioned triumphed today as his Private Member’s Bill was passed by the House of Lords.

Chris White’s Bill, which will now become law, asks public bodies to consider how they might use public service contracts to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of our communities.

In a statement after the day’s successful session in the Lords, the MP for Warwick and Leamington said the process had been long but ‘worth the effort, as it will help thousands of community organisations, charities and social enterprises to win and deliver public service contracts’.

White added: ‘The Bill will, I hope, help to start a culture change in the public sector and ensure that we consider the full value of the services that we use, utilise the best that civil society has to offer and maximise the use of public money.’

The Bill was sponsored in Lords by Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Newby, and after a formal third reading this afternoon, was unanimously passed. It will now become the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2010-2012, once it has received Royal Assent.


The Bill has received support across the political spectrum and has been supported by organisations such as Social Enterprise UK, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations.  


Social Enterprise UK said the new law could ‘kickstart responsible capitalism’. Its CEO, Peter Holbrook, said that when public money went to private sector providers of services it was ‘leaking out of our economy into wealthy pockets’.

‘Our taxes shouldn’t be a vehicle for the upward redistribution of wealth,’ Holbrook said. ‘We expect this legislation to put the brakes on firms who want to cream excessive profits from taxpayers’ money.’

The Government’s annual spend on commissioning and procurement is £236bn billion, and some 11% of government contracts are currently delivered by social enterprises and charities.

‘As a result of this law, public bodies will be the first to showcase what responsible capitalism really looks like,’ Holbrook added. ‘They will have the freedom and authority to commission based on what else a provider can offer society, as well as competing on price and quality.’

Holbrook added that without the legislation, the market would remain ‘skewed in favour of larger private firms’. He claimed this had occurred with the Work Programme, where few social enterprises and charities were commissioned ‘despite them having a strong track record’.

Lord Newby said the challenge now was to ensure that the change in procurement happened in practice.

Jon Trickett, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: ‘I hope that this is just the start of social value being introduced throughout all government commissioning, and I urge the government to set out a clear national social enterprise strategy as an important next step.

‘By asking public sector bodies to consider how they can improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of their areas, a more sustainable and efficient public service will develop which holds the needs of its users at its heart.’

One-Stop Incubators Hatching Social Enterprise Startups

Anne Field, Contributor

All startups are alike–and that includes social enterprises

Well, sort of.

Depending on the business, founders pretty much all need  help fine-tuning their plan, figuring out the best way to market, creating their technology platform. Or maybe they just want a place to work that’s not in a Starbucks.

But unlike other startups, social enterprises also have to wrestle with all sorts of other pesky issues–determining how to measure the success of their non-financial goals, say, or what type of investors might want to take a chance on them.

That’s why it’s so important to have incubators and accelerators catering to the special needs of social enterprises. Sure, there are tons of new incubators out there. And every time you breathe, it seems like there’s a freshly minted Y Combinator-style venture accelerator offering three-month boot camps and investment in tech startups.

None of them, however, are remotely useful for the mission-driven company with all those other concerns–and little chance of  garnering the type of returns typical of the usual venture-accelerator groomed tech firm.

Enter Panzanzee, a new, ambitious hybrid in Chicago. Part incubator, part accelerator, part co-working space, it aims to provide a one-stop shop for fledgling social enterprises, according to founder Amanda Britt.

To that end, Pananzee  will offer a panoply of services.  There’s a co-working space for startup founders, as well as attorneys and others who want to provide services to social entrepreneurs.  For the moment, they’re working out of a 2,200 square-foot space. But Britt hopes to move to a 15,000 square-foot location later in the year.

Then there’s something called “Raise the Barn”, in which a company founder speaks before a group of 30 or so professionals, looking for guidance in one particular problem area. After that, the person can meet with a smaller group to drill down further into how to fix the problem.

Eric Fenton, founder of two-year-old Chicago-based Ignite Progress, was one of the first startups to go through a Raise the Barn late last year. Fenton formed the company to provide test prep and college readiness services to kids in underprivileged neighborhoods.  But, he was only breaking even serving his less-privileged clients, while making money on the other, wealthier ones. How then could he fuel long-term growth?

At a November Raise the Barn, he presented his dilemma to about 35 professionals. After a two-hour discussion, the group came up with a consensus: He had to put his social goals on the back-burner temporarily and focus, for the time being, on well-heeled families in the North Shore, who could afford to pay higher fees. By doing so, he could build his brand, thereby making it more likely to attract the attention of foundations and nonprofits interested in his social goals.

As for other services, Panzanzee will provide in-depth, Y-Combinator-style business consulting help to a select group. Britt figures she’ll spend four weeks or so “dating”, before deciding whether to take a 5% to 10% equity stake in the company and continue working with it.  She still has to iron out the specifics, but she thinks she and her staff will spend more than the usual three months, since social enterprises, with their more complex challenges, may need more time to get off the ground. If the company doesn’t make the grade,  she may still help the company founders fine-tune their strategy.

That’s not all. Panzanzee will provide business consulting services. And it will help form groups of entrepreneurs who will meet weekly or monthly to talk about challenges they’re facing.

None of this stuff is free, of course. For the co-working space, for example,  Britt is asking for donations from tenants for now, but in the summer she’ll start charging by the week or day. For the peer group meetings, there will be a monthly fee.

Panzanzee isn’t the only one providing such hybrid services. For example, last month, Good Company Ventures in Philadelphia, which runs a venture accelerator for social enterprises, merged with a group called Green Village, which, among other things, provides incubator space, to form Good Company Group. It also has a three-month mentoring program for “folks with the germ of any idea,” says Garrett Melby, managing director of Good Company Ventures.

Melby, by the way, has some interesting ideas about using venture accelerators to build social enterprises able to attract venture capital and scale quickly (okay, I just used jargon I hate). More about that in a later post.

EXPLORING THE 'CO-OPERATIVE FUTURE'

FUTURES | AUGUST 9, 2010

WHAT would a village or town that fully embraced community ownership look like?

That was the question posed to Peter Couchman, chief executive of the Plunkett Foundation, which recently helped the UK’s most famous community-owned shop off the ground.

Peter, who was addressing the AGM of Co-operative Futures – an agency that encourages the formation of new co-operative and community-owned enterprises in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Swindon, Wiltshire and the West Midlands – was instrumental in helping the BBC establish a community-owned shop in Ambridge, the fictional setting for Radio 4 soap The Archers.

The BBC, revealed Peter, originally planned a three-month storyline where villagers looked at the feasibility of opening its own community-run shop.

But such was the demand from the show’s 800,000 listeners that the story was extended to see the shop open as a community owned enterprise on June 2, after nine months of on-air planning.

Using Ambridge as a model, attendees were invited to imagine what else in the village could be operated as community-owned enterprises. In the real world, many such schemes are run as co-operatives.

The Bull pub, said Peter, was an obvious example. Although the Plunkett Foundation has helped 250 communities establish village shops over the past 20 years, there is a growing demand from towns and villages to take over the running of their locals, as pub closures run at around 40 a week nationwide.

“Once a community has taken ownership of its shop, it often isn’t enough for them,” said Peter. “They ask what it is that matters to the community – the pub, the school, public transport, provision of health services and the like, and try to apply a community-ownership model to those services too.”

In a few cases, even the village church has become a focus for community-run enterprises.

“These huge buildings cost a fortune to maintain, but are only being used one day a week,” said Peter. “Now we’re seeing real creativity around the use of space at churches.

“Churches were traditionally a home for enterprise, and until the Reformation many of the operating costs were met by the income generated by brewing. Although I’m not suggesting we return to that, there’s been a great deal of interest from church authorities about using the space for shops, cafes and a community meeting space – this will be big news over the next few years.”

Another big topic in the future will be how a community meets its energy needs. “Ambridge has a river, which could be utilised by a hydro scheme, and lots of open space for a wind farm,” said Peter.

But listeners should not expect to see a hydro-electric power plant open in Ambridge any time soon: “The show is not a pioneer new ideas, but reflects what is going on in rural communities,” said Peter.

“It is down to the ideas and the actions of people in this room that makes these things possible.”

Among the guests at the AGM were Sheila Bull and Pamela Cook from Down Ampney Village Shop in Gloucestershire, which in July moved from its portable building home of 12 years to a purpose-built extension of the village hall, thanks in part to a £25,000 loan from the Co-operative Loan Fund.

The meeting was held at the studios of Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-op at Stroud. Theco-operative promotes fine art printmaking, encourages artists engaged in the medium, and provides training in traditional printmaking techniques, some of which have remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place

Melvin McLeod (Editor).Wisdom Publications,

Reviewed by Akuppa

There are some books on engaged Buddhism that tend to be rather polemical or academic in style. ‘Mindful Politics’ is not one of them. Its editor hopes that it will serve as a guide or a handbook for those who wish to draw on Buddhism to help make the world a better place. His hopes are well justified. It is an anthology that draws on the accumulated experience of much learning – rich in flashes of insight and practical wisdom. Anyone who feels some connection between the transformation of self and world is sure to find some fresh perspectives and directions among its many and varied contributions.
All but a few of the contributors are American or America-based. Given the subject matter of the book, it is perhaps surprising that this bias is unexplained and barely acknowledged. And yet its rootedness in the American Buddhist experience is also a real strength. This is a book that could not have been compiled twenty or thirty years ago. It bears witness to a generation of practice in the West and engagement with real-life suffering in the world. It is a sign that the Dharma has not only taken root outside of the East but has begun to bear fruit too. The result is a collection of pithy writings that have an immediacy and accessibility to any Western reader.
It is not, as several contributors point out, that Buddhism offers an alternative political program, nor even that it has the answer to every political question. Most of the book is about how we might bring about change, rather than what change we might seek to bring about.
There are some notable exceptions to this. The cause of peace has long been widely accepted as a Buddhist political value. To this end, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh both advocate a more effective, democratic United Nations. The Dalai Lama suggests that we each need to develop a sense of ‘universal responsibility’ for humanity. This means thinking beyond both individual and national self-interest.
Are there other basic political principles that we can agree on as Buddhists? Stephanie Kaza makes a clear, concise case for environmentalism, via nonharm, interconnectedness and systems thinking. Sulak Sivaraksa also cites interconnectedness in his response to globalization. Jigme Thinley, Home Minister of Bhutan, enlarges on the idea of ‘Gross National Happiness’ as an alternative economic agenda that his government is trying to pursue. And David Loy introduces his incisive analysis of institutionalized greed, ill will and delusion. This is the idea that the traditional root poisons can take on a collective dimension, and that they need to be addressed on that level as well as in our own hearts. All of these writers offer tools for clear thinking. Their ideas will be useful not only to those who are actively involved , but also to those who simply wish to make sense of politics, or who are figuring out who to vote for.
One of the most direct and thought-provoking pieces comes from the feminist political thinker bell hooks. She sees Buddhism as a means of letting go of all forms of ‘dominator thinking’. In order to do that, however, the institutions of Buddhism in the West need to transcend the ‘politics of race and class exclusion’ with which they themselves are permeated.
Most of the contributors focus on issues that may arise for the practitioner who might engage in politics, or who might even in some small way wish to be a positive influence. What if, for example, I find myself consumed by anger – how do I not bring more rage into the world? There is a wealth of practical wisdom to draw on in this book on that subject. Pema Chodron, Ken Jones, Ezra Bayda and Rita Gross all speak from many years of personal experience and give very useful from-the-heart advice and reflections on cultivating patience and non-enmity. These are teachings we need to constantly remind ourselves of if we really want to break the cycle of reaction, polarization and revenge.
Other questions may arise. I want to change the world, but where do I start? Do what you care about, advises Stephanie Kaza. How do I know what is the right action in a situation? Don’t be afraid to stay with ‘not knowing’, advises Bernie Glassman. And do I protest like Allen Ginsberg or engage in the system to transform it, as advocated by Chogyam Trungpa? Do whatever works, suggests Joseph Goldstein – whatever helps you to cultivate mindfulness, compassion and wisdom.
Some of the contributions paint a picture of what a politically engaged Buddhist might be like. Charles Johnson describes the ideal as someone who is ‘peace embodied’ – nonviolent, dispassionate, empathic, without attachment to recognition or results. David Loy identifies the three important Buddhist contributions as spiritual practice, nonviolence and the humility that comes from a sense that our liberation is inseparable from that of all others. And from the Order of Interbeing come the fourteen mindfulnesses, or political precepts. These are very practical guidelines for involvement in the world. Any of these chapters would be worthy of careful study, particularly by any group of engaged practitioners.

 

 

Relationships- The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

By David Richo 

 

Description of How to Be an Adult in Relationships

"Most people think of love as a feeling," says David Richo, "but love is not so much a feeling as a way of being present." In this book, Richo offers a fresh perspective on love and relationships—one that focuses not on finding an ideal mate, but on becoming a more loving and realistic person. Drawing on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness, How to Be an Adult in Relationships explores five hallmarks of mindful loving and how they play a key role in our relationships throughout life:

1. Attention to the present moment; observing, listening, and noticing all the feelings at play in our relationships.
2. Acceptance of ourselves and others just as we are.
3. Appreciation of all our gifts, our limits, our longings, and our poignant human predicament.
4. Affection shown through holding and touching in respectful ways.
5. Allowing life and love to be just as they are, with all their ecstasy and ache, without trying to take control.

When deeply understood and applied, these five simple concepts—what Richo calls the five A's—form the basis of mature love. They help us to move away from judgment, fear, and blame to a position of openness, compassion, and realism about life and relationships. By giving and receiving these five A's, relationships become deeper and more meaningful, and they become a ground for personal transformation.

12 Exercises for Mindful Parenting

by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn

With these meditative techniques, raising children can be a spiritual practice.

1. Try to imagine the world from your child's point of view, purposefully letting go of your own. Do this every day for at least a few moments to remind you of who this child is and what he or she faces in the world.
2. Imagine how you appear and sound from your child's point of view, i.e., having you as a parent today, in this moment. How might this modify how you carry yourself in your body and in space, how you speak, and what you say? How do you want to relate to your child in this moment?
3. Practice seeing your children as perfect just the way they are. See if you can stay mindful of their sovereignty from moment to moment, and work at accepting them as they are when it is hardest for you to do so.
4. Be mindful of your expectations of your children and consider whether they are truly in your child's best interest. Also, be aware of how you communicate those expectations and how they affect your children.
5. Practice altruism, putting the needs of your children above your own whenever possible. Then see if there isn't some common ground, where your true needs can also be met. You may be surprised at how much overlap is possible, especially if you are patient and strive for balance.
6. When you feel lost, or at a loss, remember to stand still and meditate on the whole by bringing your full attention to the situation, to your child, to yourself, to the family. In doing so, you may go beyond thinking, even good thinking, and perceive intuitively, with the whole of your being, what needs to be done. If that is not clear in any moment, maybe the best thing is to not do anything until it becomes clearer. Sometimes it is good to remain silent.
7. Try embodying silent presence. This will grow out of both formal and informal mindfulness practice over time if you attend to how you carry yourself and what you project in body, mind, and speech. Listen carefully.
8. Learn to live with tension without losing your own balance. In Zen and the Art of Archery, Herrigel describes how he was taught to stand at the point of highest tension effortlessly without shooting the arrow. At the right moment, the arrow mysteriously shoots itself. Practice moving into any moment, however difficult, without trying to change anything and without having to have a particular outcome occur. Simply bring your full awareness and presence to this moment. Practice seeing that whatever comes up is "workable" if you are willing to trust your intuition. Your child needs you to be a center of balance and trustworthiness, a reliable landmark by which he or she can take a bearing within his or her own landscape. Arrow and target need each other. They will find each other best through wise attention and patience.
9. Apologize to your child when you have betrayed a trust in even a little way. Apologies are healing. An apology demonstrates that you have thought about a situation and have come to see it more clearly, or perhaps more from your child's point of view. But be mindful of being "sorry" too often. It loses its meaning if you are always saying it, making regret into a habit. Then it can become a way not to take responsibility for your actions. Cooking in remorse on occasion is a good meditation. Don't shut off the stove until the meal is ready.
10. Every child is special, and every child has special needs. Each sees in an entirely unique way. Hold an image of each child in your heart. Drink in their being, wishing them well.
11. There are important times when we need to be clear and strong and unequivocal with children. Let this come as much as possible out of awareness, generosity, and discernment, rather than out of fear, self-righteousness, or the desire to control. Mindful parenting does not mean being overindulgent, neglectful, or weak; nor does it mean being rigid, domineering, and controlling.
12. The greatest gift you can give your child is your self. This means that part of your work as a parent is to keep growing in self-knowledge and awareness. This ongoing work can be furthered by making a time for quiet contemplation in whatever ways feel comfortable to us. We only have right now. Let us use it to its best advantage, for our children's sake, and for our own.

Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn is the author of Wherever You Go, There You Are. Myla Kabat-Zinn has worked as a childbirth educator, birthing assistant, and environmental activist. Excerpted from Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. Copyright 1997 by Myla Kabat-Zinn and Jon Kabat-Zinn.

 Mindful Parenting

By- Scott Rogers

Mindful Parenting is a contemplative practice through which our connection to our child, and awareness of our child’s presence, helps us become better grounded in the present moment

The Mindful Parent is an organization devoted to sharing with parents and other child caregivers ways in which to enhance the many joys of parenting.  By mindfully attending to our children, both when we are physically present with them and when we are physically separated from them, we can enhance our sense of connection to them and, in turn, our connection to the cosmos.  This makes us a better parent, a happier person, and a more vital human being.

 
Example

The Daily Sip: The One Minute

Mindfulness Moment

Mindful parenting takes many forms. In Today’s Morning Cup we consider a family practice that can offers rich insights and experiences.

Mindful parenting can be a contemplative practice you engages in solo -- in the quiet (or not so quiet) of your home or workspace, in a chair, walking, lying down, or on the cushion.  It can also be a group practice.

Sometimes the practice is brought into the family setting, and this too can take many forms. As a parent, you may cultivate mindfulness at the dinner table, while helping your child with homework, or when listening to your child share their day or a struggle they are experiencing.  These moments can be among the richest, both in terms of the sense of joy and aliveness that flows, as well as the challenge of maintaining a grounded presence -- and the tendency to fall into reactivity.

The Practice.  While each of the practices mentioned so far can be engaged as a solo practice, today we explore one that you may want to share with your family.  It is called the One Minute Mindfulness Moment.    

This mindfulness practice, as its name suggests, takes but a minute, and though simple to explain, is not always easy to implement or sustain. It offers the promise of a rich, shared, experience.  And because you may be your family’s “designated mindfulness practitioner,” the process may well offer you among the greatest of mindfulness challenges.

Getting Started.  Suggest to your family that at a certain time each day everyone gets together to experience one minute in silence.  It can be in the morning before leaving for school.  It can be in the afternoon or evening before beginning homework.  The idea is to insert a pause at a time when everyone is otherwise caught up and engaged in the doing of things.  Setting a (non-ticking) timer can be helpful so that no one is too attentive to keeping track of the passing of time.

What to do.  You can suggest to everyone any of a variety of “ways to be” during the minute.  Everyone can close or lower their eyes and pay attention to (or count) their breathing.  Everyone can look into each others eyes and smile.  Everyone can hold hands.  A more formal mindfulness instruction can be shared -- e.g., to return awareness to the breath when thoughts are noticed, or to pay attention to the sensations in the body.  Suggest a simple practice based on your mindfulness experience.

Regardless of the specific structure, the One Minute Mindfulness Practice allows us to press the collective reset button.  It give us a moment to connect in a different way.  It teaches us that silence can be safe, even fulfilling.  If you think you may forget the title of the practice, you can remember its acronym: OMMM.

Wishing you all the best,