Alliance for Great Neighborhoods
Design Charrettes
Contact us:
Melanie Taylor
Melanie Taylor Architecture
Residential Architecture & Urban Design
A Charrette is the Method for Making a Place Great
At the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, the leading school of architecture in France in the 19th century, a charrette referred to the cart that was pushed around at deadlines to collect students’ projects. Students would actually climb aboard as they frantically applied the finishing touches to their projects!
Architects and developers use the term charrette to refer to an intense design session at the start of a new p
roject. During a charrette, designers and owners meet on-site for a pre-arranged period of time in order to determine the design and mission of the project.
During a charrette, AGN visits our client’s site, sets up a full working office on-site, and holds an intensive workshop, or, in other words, a design-and-planning- session which concludes with the production of marketing materials. Formal and informal meetings are held throughout the event, and updates to the plan are presented to the client. This format combines a creative burst of energy with a real-world, hands-on approach to the project and the site so that designers and owners can maximize value and minimize costs.
Great neighborhoods depend on great design but great design depends on an intimate understanding of the site and the client’s interests. For this reason, we recommend this service at the start of any project. The charette offers a superb opportunity to explore ideas and the site, to develop the owner-designer relationship, and to receive immediate feedback.
