The word charrette is the name architects give to a collaborative workshop in which a group of designers and others draft a creative response to a design problem. While the organisation of a charrette varies, depending on the design problem posed, and the individuals involved, they most often take place across a limited amount of time, in a shared space and where people are divided into small teams. At the end of the workshop, each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for future dialogue.
The charrette is a creative method for integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people so as share knowledge and experiences, to learn from each other, to work through a specific design problem creatively and constructively, and to produce concrete examples of design improvements.
Main characteristics
Work collaboratively
All the people in a charrette are involved as active participants, with an equal role and value. Whilst charrettes can involve multiple sessions to help develop collaborative relationships, a simple form is made up of three sessions – an introductory event, where people get to know each other and agree shared goals; the design workshop itself; and a feedback process, to allow time for reflection, to share outcomes and where dialogue can be continued and developed.
Design from different perspectives
Bringing together people with diverse knowledge and experience related to the design problem set, enables a richness of outcomes, not restricted by a partial or un-informed view.
Compress designing period
A charrette speeds up the usual design process, making it intensive and ‘quick-thinking’. It also encourages people to abandon their usual working patterns and “think outside of the box.”
Communicate in short feedback loops
During the charrette, design ideas are created within sub-group based upon a shared vision, and presented within hours for further review, critique, and refinement from other sub-groups. This allows instant creative feedback to a design proposal, which can then be reviewed, changed, and re-presented for further review.
Study the details and the whole
Lasting agreement is based on a fully informed dialogue, which is best done by looking at the details and the big picture concurrently. Studies at these two scales also inform each other and can add to the creativity of the design response.
Agree intended goals
By measuring progress against a agreed set of intended goals, the design process should be transparent and constructive for all the participants
Produce a believable solution
If design solutions are resolved practically and believably (however ‘off-the-wall’) there is a level of seriousness and rigour to the process for everyone involved.
Design-on-site as a valuable collaborative tool
Design is a powerful way of enabling a shared vision. Site investigations through drawing and debate can be used to illustrate, analyse and creatively resolve the complexity of the problem set.
Working on site enables the design team to immediately grapple with both practicalities and bigger ideas; and to imagine proposed solutions easily and concretely in a real space.
Monday 11 February 2008
Architecture-InsideOut Events News
Architecture-InsideOut is a collaboration between Diablo Arts, DADA-South and the University of Brighton which aims to develop and capture innovative forms of design practice for the built environment, led by the creativity and experiences of deaf and disabled artists.
Our latest project (funded by Arts Council SE) involves setting up a series of events which:
• Provide the opportunity for deaf and disabled artists to collaborate in exploring ways of improving the built environment
• Enable deaf and disabled artists and architects to engage creatively in developing design improvements
• Offer ‘discursive spaces’ for artists interested in architecture, and for architects, deaf and disabled artists and other associated agencies to be able to share their expertise and experiences
• Open up potential for future partnerships and continuing creative work around disability and architecture
There will be two events being planned over the next few months;
Places are limited for phase 1 so will be offered to those whose current portfolio links closely to the built environment. We are developing other opportunities for charrettes and workshops later in the year, so please check back regularly here on the blog and the project website - currently under construction but coming soon.
Dates
InsideOut@InQbate
Two one - day workshops are planned with up to 8 deaf and disabled participants in each.
Friday 11th April 2008: 10.00 – 4.00pm
Thursday 10th April 2008: 10.00 – 4.00pm
Opening up!
Friday 25th April 2008: Introductory evening
McAulay Studio, Tate Modern, 4.00 – 7.00pm
Saturday 10th May 2008: collaborative design workshop
McAulay Studio, Tate Modern, 10.00 – 6.00pm
We hope that artists and architects will be able to participate in both these days, so that teams can get to know each other before the charrette itself.
Accessibility
The venues are wheelchair accessible and British Sign Language Interpreters will be present. Additional access requirements can also be accommodated on request.
Capturing and learning from these events
We have also asked some deaf and disabled artists to creatively capture these events, and to make a short work related to each one. As well as designs made during each event, these works will be shown on the Architecture-InsideOut website (in development) and will be publically debated via the Architecture- InsideOut blog at http://architecture-insideout.blogspot.com/
In addition, we will have a public follow-up session at Tate Modern to view these works, to discuss what has been learnt, and to make plans for future activities.
Future Developments
We are hoping to plan a series of charrettes and other events over the next year, with a first as part of the South East architecture festival (architecture08) in June.
To date we have invited specific deaf and disabled artists; for the next event we hope to make this an open submission, so if you know artists who might want to participate next time round, please ask them to contact us. We also hope to develop more projects, publicise work, related to architecture, by deaf and disabled artists, and to support more partnering between artists and architects.
Please get in touch if you would like to get involved, or would like to tell us about related projects you are working on.
Contact: architectureinsideout@googlemail.com
Zoe Partington-Sollinger (Diablo Arts)
Stevie Rice and Mandy Legg (DADA-South)
Jos Boys (Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Brighton)
Our latest project (funded by Arts Council SE) involves setting up a series of events which:
• Provide the opportunity for deaf and disabled artists to collaborate in exploring ways of improving the built environment
• Enable deaf and disabled artists and architects to engage creatively in developing design improvements
• Offer ‘discursive spaces’ for artists interested in architecture, and for architects, deaf and disabled artists and other associated agencies to be able to share their expertise and experiences
• Open up potential for future partnerships and continuing creative work around disability and architecture
There will be two events being planned over the next few months;
- An artists’ one-day exploratory workshop offering ‘hands-on’ involvement in creatively manipulating 3-D space, light, colour, sound, objects, layout etc., hosted by InQbate at the University of Sussex
- An intensive design workshop with selected architects hosted by Tate Modern in London. This second event – known by architects as a charrette – is an opportunity to undertake a ‘design-in-a-day’ as part of a small team of 4 – 5, in competition with up to 8 other teams. For more details of how a charrette works, see What is a Charette?.
Places are limited for phase 1 so will be offered to those whose current portfolio links closely to the built environment. We are developing other opportunities for charrettes and workshops later in the year, so please check back regularly here on the blog and the project website - currently under construction but coming soon.
Dates
InsideOut@InQbate
Two one - day workshops are planned with up to 8 deaf and disabled participants in each.
Friday 11th April 2008: 10.00 – 4.00pm
Thursday 10th April 2008: 10.00 – 4.00pm
Opening up!
Friday 25th April 2008: Introductory evening
McAulay Studio, Tate Modern, 4.00 – 7.00pm
Saturday 10th May 2008: collaborative design workshop
McAulay Studio, Tate Modern, 10.00 – 6.00pm
We hope that artists and architects will be able to participate in both these days, so that teams can get to know each other before the charrette itself.
Accessibility
The venues are wheelchair accessible and British Sign Language Interpreters will be present. Additional access requirements can also be accommodated on request.
Capturing and learning from these events
We have also asked some deaf and disabled artists to creatively capture these events, and to make a short work related to each one. As well as designs made during each event, these works will be shown on the Architecture-InsideOut website (in development) and will be publically debated via the Architecture- InsideOut blog at http://architecture-insideout.blogspot.com/
In addition, we will have a public follow-up session at Tate Modern to view these works, to discuss what has been learnt, and to make plans for future activities.
Future Developments
We are hoping to plan a series of charrettes and other events over the next year, with a first as part of the South East architecture festival (architecture08) in June.
To date we have invited specific deaf and disabled artists; for the next event we hope to make this an open submission, so if you know artists who might want to participate next time round, please ask them to contact us. We also hope to develop more projects, publicise work, related to architecture, by deaf and disabled artists, and to support more partnering between artists and architects.
Please get in touch if you would like to get involved, or would like to tell us about related projects you are working on.
Contact: architectureinsideout@googlemail.com
Zoe Partington-Sollinger (Diablo Arts)
Stevie Rice and Mandy Legg (DADA-South)
Jos Boys (Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Brighton)
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