#87029
11/14/2002 8:22 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
the site meter I use on my web page, amongst other things, keeps track of the referring links, so that I know whenever I'm being referenced by, for example, OneLook. I'm constantly getting hits from people wanting to know about recent coinages such as 'aetataureate' and 'friscalating', or words that have lately popped up on other word sites. but recently I've had a spate of queries regarding 'charrette', which is defined as "a final, intensive effort to finish a project (usu. architectural) before a deadline". I can't figure out why so many hits now on this particular word, unless it's from some school assignment. Jazzo?
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#87030
11/14/2002 9:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Hee's a bit more description:
A charrette is an intensive, multi-disciplinary planning process. It is designed to facilitate an open
discussion between all of the stakeholders of a given development project, including architects,
community groups, developers and neighbors. A charrette is usually a short process, from 3-4 days
to 2 weeks long, resulting in a clear, detailed, realistic vision for development.
There are three main parts to a charrette:
Exploration and Issue Identification: Stakeholders and design professionals meet to explore the
area (e.g., building, site, neighborhood) and discuss issues that the stakeholders feel are important
to the development.
Design: Design professionals create a few different schematic images to represent numerous design solutions that take into consideration the issues that the stakeholders discussed in step one: building typology, design elements, green spaces, landscaping, parking, recreation, traffic, safety, sustainable development and water management, to name just a few.Call to Action / Implementation Plan: A development document summmarizes the vision and is adopted by stakeholders as a guide for present
and future developments.
Charrette Drafting Supplies was largest such place in Boston .
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#87031
11/15/2002 1:25 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Re:Charrette Drafting Supplies is a chain of art stores in NY (maybe the same company as in boston?
and they claim the name as the name to architectual too, (but i don't remember how they defined it...) they have sponcered desiqn contests, and do carry a large supple of material not just for general art work, but specifically for architects.
(one store is located at Lexington and 33rd, directly across the street from the NY design center building (mostly interior design) and another shop is on Park at 55th. both places are multi level stores.)
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#87032
11/16/2002 3:32 AM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
We've done a good deal of this charretting this year so far, and without the professors giving any explicit definition of the word, I've come to think of it as a quick, intense design process focusing on one aspect of the design. They've generally been pretty sketchy and conceptual to resolve an issue such as how the building responds to sunlight, or how the structure works with the composition. I've suspected, though, that's it a much broader term than how they've been using it with us. I've never thought of it as a final thing.
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#87033
12/03/2002 4:19 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
well, the last few days I've had a run on the word figgum. I'd sure like to know what starts these streaks.
edit: I think I've answered my own question. figgum came up on rec.juggling. it's probably USENET that causes these phenomena.
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#87034
12/03/2002 5:14 PM
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
tsuwm:
Don't you remember playing "figgum" back in April of last year on Hogwash?
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#87035
12/03/2002 5:36 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
sure... and that's related how to this week's run?
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#87036
12/03/2002 6:01 PM
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Not related; just wondering whether you remembered playing figgum.
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#87037
12/07/2002 4:52 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
twenty-four(24!) hits so far today from OneLook for pohutukawa!? must be from some puzzle thang... http://www.dreamland.co.nz/pohutukawafest/
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#87038
12/08/2002 6:12 AM
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
I can't think of any New Zealander who would have to resort to looking pohutukawa up on a website. Known as the "New Zealand Christmas Tree" because it's self-decorating at Christmas. If you're far enough north, that is.
You may be right as to the reason.
- Pfranz
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#87039
01/06/2003 2:01 AM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm still fascinated by this word. I've been exposed to it frequently in the last month, having gone to the national conference for architecture students. It's an incredibly commonly used word in the arch community and I'm surprised that I have yet to see it in any dictionary. I googled it and one source described it as tsuwm did, an intense final design sequence. This is not at all how I've heard it used. It's always been used in more of a preliminary, experimental context. For instance, I've heard of cities gathering together architects and planners to have a one or two day charrette to come up with an idea for a new urban plan for the city. I think the term is taking on the sense of just any intense, short term design process. I'm wondering what, if anything, the OED says about this mysterious word. A friend of mine looked it up in a French dictionary and it meant chariot. I don't see the relation.
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#87040
01/06/2003 4:33 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
Etymology: French charrette cart (used to transport drawings)*, from Old French, cart, from char wheeled vehicle + -ette -- more at CHARIOT
: the intense final effort made by architectural students to complete their solutions to a given architectural problem in an allotted time or the period in which such an effort is made
*emphasis added
this is from W3, © 2002
edit: \she 'ret\
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#87041
01/06/2003 3:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
So is it pronounced with a hard ch- like "church" or a soft one like "charade"?
edit: \she 'ret\ thanks!
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#87042
01/06/2003 4:44 PM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Hi Jazzo’,
This process architects are calling charrette seems to be much the same as a process Engineers are calling Value Engineering. VE uses the expression:
Value = Function divided by Cost
Hence if you reduce cost while maintaining functionality then you have increased the value, anything else is plain old painful cost cutting. Value Engineering depends upon what seems to be a fact, namely that if you bring new minds to a design they will always find ways to improve it. A VE exercise is carried out by some competent newcomers to the design plus one or two of the original design team together with a facilitator and team leader. it may be brief or extended depending on the complexity of the design issues. It may take place following the conceptual design stage but before detailed design commences or later in the design/build process if there is a need to rescue a project in financial difficulties. VE works (we have used it and saved literally tens of millions of dollars on large projects), and it is not a reflection on the abilities of the original design team. If you repeat the exercise with team members drawn from the VE team, plus some more of the original design team, you will gain further improvements. I don’t think anyone has taken this to its limit and I guess a law of diminishing returns comes in to play. Anyway, the schedule imperatives always rule in the end.
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