(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-03)
Charest, Robert Michel; Lucas, Patrick Lee
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.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-03)
Charest, Robert Michel; Lucas, Patrick Lee
What are we building, where is the site and when do we start? Questions usually at the forefront when speaking of design-build. At our department, making is making a really strong comeback. Product, exhibits and even buildings are "going-up" full size. I can hardly remember why we once insisted on only drawing things.
Design-build projects are laborious in a way that has little to do with wielding a hammer or pouring concrete. The studio instructor preparing a design-build syllabus must broker a deal, find an interested community partner [a.k.a. an academically conflict of interest free client], secure a viable site, obtain funding, prepare legal agreements, etc. During the project, the same instructor must act as project manager, contractor, lead designer, safety officer, site supervisor and master craftsman. Beyond the project, he/she must ensure--on time/on budget--completion, reconcile expenses and handle "after sale calls". The intended paper will be a grand narrative fleshing out three recent and current high-stakes design-build efforts at our school. By constructing a timeline of events, the authors plan to emphasize the magnitude of a project's periphery. The three [un]featured design build projects are, an inner-city replacement home, a city-wide postmortem retrospective exhibit for a pivotal modernist architect and a home for underage mothers. We are not promoting the "real world" over academic idealism--this would be hypocritical since our projects always unfold within a curricular framework. We are stating the paramount importance of ancillary work and its direct impact on the outcome of design.