EcoVillage Institute, Inc. has received a grant of $45,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy: Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development.

The funds have been awarded to the EcoVillage Institute, Inc. through a contract with the Rocky Mountain Institute. The design and construction process of EcoVillage of Loudoun County, Virginia will be used as a vehicle to develop and test the thesis that green design can by systematically and routinely made a part of the housing industry. EcoVillage is a cohousing and ecovillage community in Loudoun County, Virginia, just eight miles north of Leesburg. EcoVillage will be used as a demonstration of environmentally sustainable development where the participation in the design process will be documented and used to develop "A Working Book for Sustainable Communities," a kit to assist groups of people planning to design sustainable communities.

The grant from the DOE promotes a systematic approach to weighing environmental characteristics, making appropriate choices and integrating those decisions into the design and construction process.

The EcoVillage Institute is working closely with the EcoVillage of Loudoun County's Design Team to assess building materials and systems, create a planning model and coordinate the green design process. The green design process includes a series of design charrettes that include professionals from various disciplines, building contractors, future residents and individuals form Bob Berkebile, BNIM Architects, Kansas City, Missouri; the nearby community and the region. Greg Franta, ENSAR Group of Boulder, Colorado; Pliny Fisk, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems of Austin, Texas; Harry Gordon of Burnt Hill Kosar Rittleman Associates of Washington, D.C., and Matthew Kiefer, Peabody & Brown, Boston, Massachusettes comprise the team working with the EcoVillage Institute.

Some of the materials and systems that have been analyzed include the use of structural straw panel construction, and soil stabilization for pedestrian paths and roads.

Design team members and Future Residents will also explore issues and options related to surface water storage and distribution, solar power generation and transportation. Cohousing got its start in Denmark in the early 1980s and gradually gained widespread popularity as a trend in development where homes are clustered around a pedestrian street and residents share the facilities of a Common House. The Common House is at the heart of the community and features include everything from common dining with hared meals to office space, workshops, playrooms, storage area and laundry room.

Typically cohousing developments are designed, planned and managed with a high degree of participation by future residents. The goal is to create a broad social mix that brings together residents of different ages, races, economic backgrounds and marital status

The layout of the development and architectural design of the homes encourage community. Making community happen while preserving privacy, is the goal of cohousing.

Cohousing is offering concepts of development that create and promote communities where neighbors know one another and collaborate on many things from meals and the purchase of a common lawnmower to childcare and workshops. Just six years ago there were only two cohousing developments in the United States. Today there are about 30 completed projects with more than 200 in some stage of planning across the country.

EcoVillage of Loudoun County, Virginia will begin land and home sales in the second quarter of 1998 and construction is slated to begin during the summer of 1998, with the first residents moving in before the end of 1998. The EcoVillage community will include two, 25- lot clusters, situated on 180 acres of beautiful farmland, only 15 percent of which will be developed.

EcoVillage of Loudoun County is more than just a cohousing community. It's also a premiere ecovillage. The design of the buildings and infrastructure will support energy efficiency and maximum energy independence through strategies such as passive solar heating, natural cooling, and daylighting. The designers of the project are committed to selecting healthy building materials, which include used, recycled, and renewable resources. We have also planned for handicapped accessibility features.

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