Brian Carleton is founding principal of Carleton Hart Architecture, a 30-person firm focused on the development and empowerment of healthy communities. CHA has a 25-year history of community-oriented projects, including multiple models of housing and supportive living environments.

Recent work has included the development of intergenerational communities as a means for solving certain social issues. Our work in this area has focused on addressing the unique challenges of foster children and the families that desire to adopt them. Through the development of three-generation communities, we bring together foster children, adults who are seeking to grow a family through adoption, and elders who are seeking fulfillment and engagement. While this model is program intensive and depends largely on the commitment of the people who come together to form their intentional community, the architecture must support and encourage consistent social interaction and create a strong sense of permanency and home.

Brian will discuss the origins of the model, a brief history of its evolution, and walk through four projects that CHA has been involved in. He will also discuss the future of the model, both in the Northwest and throughout the country. There will be plenty of opportunity throughout the discussion for exchange of ideas.