Charrette : A High Performance Vehicle for Learning in the Design Studio

Abstract

When announced at the beginning of a studio session, a charrette often elicits groans from students and some pondering about the tasks that may lie ahead in the short period of intense work articulated in the parameters of the design exercise. When bundled together, a series of charrettes serves well students in providing space for them to articulate visions for their work in various levels of design studio. In beginning studio classes, the charrette teaches as much about process as product and permits students to learn about the values and some of the tribulations of collective enterprise. Over the last several years, the authors have experimented collaboratively and independently to punctuate their design studios with charrettes, bringing this historic practice to the design studio of the present. In doing so, the authors have illuminated a path to more holistic design approaches with resultant stronger work. Through this paper, the authors examine the fundamental place of charrettes within design discourse and advocate for this essential endeavor in both education and practice.