Design Charrette: An Introduction
The term “charrette” is derived from the French word for “cart”. At the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the premiere school of architecture in 19th century France, architecture students were challenged with design assignments requiring intense work and were subjected to very tight and inflexible deadlines. These exercises would culminate into feverish bursts of creative effort as the designs were drawn on large format boards for final presentation. The arrival of the deadline was always marked by the appearance of the Proctor’s cart, the “charrette”, which made the rounds of the students’ quarters to pick up their work.
In 1982, a group of Architects in San Mateo County was asked to organize a design Charrette to launch a local community’s downtown storefront improvement program. These Architects went on to found the AIASMC chapter, and since then we have collectively organized and conducted over 18 Charrettes for various Peninsula communities.
Now are you even more curious about Design Charrette? Or have you not participated in any of the charrettes organized by our chapter? Our Board of Directors veterans – John, Ellis, Kevin and Noemi – will host an in-person workshop on the evening of May 14th. You will be introduced to (or reminded of) the “Why, What and How” of Design Charrettes, architects’ contributions to the communities, and the power of DESIGN!
Stay tuned for more details.