Welcome to Design Charrette

The commoners soon learned that if they were to jump into the cart along with their designs then they could collaborate & improve their drawings up until they reached the castle’s gate.  Therefore, their designs could ultimately be improved & have better odds to win approval... and they would get paid!

In today’s world, a Design Charrette refers to the assembly of a team of experts or key people who are focused on the goals of the project and can contribute their expertise toward making the final project better.  These projects can be large or small; residential, commercial, industrial, municipal or difficult to classify.  In other words, pretty much any project you can think of or be involved in can probably benefit by one or more well-organized Design Charrettes. 

Rationale for This DesignCharrette.com Website:

Design Charrettes have been around and in use for a very long time and are quite capable of contributing greatly toward a project's ultimate success.  Yet they have been used sparingly, primarily for larger projects with big budgets, mainly because travel costs and consulting time can be expensive.

Smaller projects, such as residential and small commercial, are almost always built without the benefit of even a single Design Charrette.  Why?  Construction methods and materials have become more & more standardized over the years and architectural designs can be easily acquired through a book, magazine or website, rather than directly from the architect.  This practice leads to 'cookie-cutter' homes and neighborhoods and bland 'no-personality' commercial buildings. 

But, even the most mundane neighborhoods will start to gain personality over time as people add their personal touches to the buildings and landscapes.  So, it is inherently possible to transform existing residences, commercial buildings and entire communities from plain to progressive and from conventional to creative.  It doesn't happen overnight and it probably won't happen without a robust, comprehensive plan that includes the 'buy-in' of all the parties involved and/or affected.

The key is to make Design Charrettes widely available and affordable. Inside the majority of homes and businesses in the USA (and most other countries) there is at least one computer that is connected to the Internet.  This electronic 'connectivity' makes it possible to instantly communicate with individuals located halfway around the world.  This Design Charrette website supports the development of your own 'integrated design team' to help you with your project.  There are many architects, engineers, green landscape professionals, solar experts and other professionals that can be available, often for a reasonable fee, if you don't require them to travel or encounter unnecessary expenses in order to work with you.

To make Design Charrettes universally available and as affordable as possible is the intention behind this website.  We know it will take some time to get up & running but we feel it is well worth the effort.  So, a well-known movie contains a similar statement that seems apropros here, "If you build it, they will come."  Thank you.