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 | Charrette is a French word meaning 'little cart', although it can also mean 'working against the clock'.
The name is from the 19th century French school of Beaux Arts, where architecture students would put their exam work in a cart at deadline time.
Students would often jump on the cart to put finishing touches to their presentations. The atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation.
And that’s the atmosphere that the modern charrette tries to create.
It’s a forum where the public, planning experts and project consultants Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) all work together under one roof.
The design charrette for Tornagrain was one of the largest public design processes for a new community ever held in the UK.
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The team
The design team put together by DPZ and led by Andres Duany comprises urban design and architecture experts from the USA, Europe, South America and East Asia, Scotland and the rest of the UK.
They united international expertise and experience with local expertise sensitive to issues specific to the Highlands and the inner Moray Firth.
We were delighted at the level of public participation in the process. Approximately 600 people attended the various meetings. Participants also engaged thoroughly in the debate with robust discussions about almost every issue conceivable.
When asked about the level of public participation Andres Duany expressed significant pleasure at not only the quality of debate and discussion but also the politeness – it appears that neither are guaranteed in the USA.
Download the pre-charrette paper here.
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