Charrette process

Charrette process

A French word that means “cart” and is often used to describe the final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a project deadline. This use of the term is said to originate from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart, or “charrette,” to collect final drawings while students frantically put finishing touches on their work. Early involvement of the entire project team is fundamental to the successful use of a systems approach to green building; thus “charrette” is also used to denote a meeting held early in the design phase of a project, in which all the participants, including the design team, engineers, contractors, clients, end users, community stakeholders, and technical experts, are brought together to develop goals, strategies, and ideas for maximizing the environmental performance of the project. Research and experience have indicated that early involvement of all interested parties increases the likelihood that sustainable building will be incorporated as a serious objective of the project and reduces the soft costs sometimes associated with a green design project.