How can we collaborate to create better places?

Charrette : A public meeting or workshop devoted to a concerted effort to solve a problem or plan the design of something or a period of intense work, typically undertaken in order to meet a deadline.

The term is thought to have derived from architecture students at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts in Paris who would place their finished work into carts (known as ‘charrettes’) and hurriedly take them to their design tutors following an all-nighter.  The word literally translates to English as ‘Cart’. Today, Charrettes are defined as intense design workshops, used typically by architects and designers, and are very useful to pool collaborative ideas in a short period of time. 

We are very interested in exploring methods in which we, as architects and designers, can bridge the knowledge gap between us, local communities and, in some instances, clients and other professionals. The idea being that by up-skilling and knowledge sharing, people are more able to understand the design process and why certain decisions may be made, to enable a more informative and useful consultation. 

We are keen that this process is engaging and fun, as well as an opportunity for people to put themselves in our shoes! This is a developing idea, the results of which we hope to reveal to you all soon!