Design Charrette

1. As a small group of six we had to renevate a farm house from the 1800's. We had to cooperate in a design charrettte which had many different job roles involved. Icluding Environmental Enginner, architect, landscape architect, saftey and public health engineer and many more.

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3.Design charrette notes!

o     Introduction of each stakeholder and a brief job description.

·        MC- Health and Safety Engineer- Makes sure all the workers are safe.

·        Jack- Environmental Engineer- Keeps the project green and good for the environment.

·        Kevin- Architect- Works on the overall design of the farmhouse.

·        Ken- Structural Engineer- Makes sure the building stays up and chooses the building materials.

·        Brian- Landscape Architect- Focuses on the design of the outside around the building.

o     Statement of the problem

·        To restore the condition of a deteriorating farm house, in a reasonable amount of time to prevent more deterioration.

o     Sketches (hand or computer-generated) to illustrate the vision

o     A bulleted list of the benefits of your plan

Renovate House- the main ideas initially thought of were replace the wood flooring, add windows, add air conditioning and heating, and insulate house- This keeps the house in working condition. All of our brainstormed ideas included:

·        Replace the wood flooring

·        Replace the brick chimney

·        Add windows

·        Outdoor garden

·        Air conditioning and Heating

·        Insulation

·        Replace wood with brick for the siding

·        Replace the wood siding with new wood, but same material

·        Windmill

·        Guest center

·        Parking lot

·        Pathway from parking lot to farmhouse

·        Add a gas fire – easier to run than wood fire

·        Add more beams across the ceiling to support the structure

·        Redo the shingles

·        Cobblestone walkway

Our final plan included a replacement of the wood siding, a replacement of the brick chimney, the addition of a cobblestone walkway, a guest center, a parking lot, an authentic windmill, more windows, more beams across the ceiling, insulation, air conditioning, and a gas fireplace. The benefits are numerous. The replacement of the materials will ensure that the building will last and the addition of beams will support the building. Since we use the same materials, the building will still have its historical look and feel. Air conditioning and heat will make it more comfortable for the guests as well as ensuring the building can be open year-round. A gas fire will be easier to run than a normal wood fire. Windows will let more light in, and the garden will add a pleasant effect to the landscape with the cobblestone walkway.

o     A bulleted list of unanswered questions and potential barriers, along with suggestions for answers and ways to overcome identified barriers

·        Barrier would be safety hazard in lead paint

·        We need a cost estimator to determine if the costs are within our range; it can’t cost too much, otherwise the historical society can’t pay for it.

·        Some forested area might have to be cleared out for the parking lot.

·        Materials used to originally construct the building may no longer be available to fix the building.

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5.  I learned that in a design charrette you have to have patience and say whatever comes to your mind. No criticising! I liked the overall design of our renevated farm house. I didnt like how the environmental enginner played a back seat role on renevating a 1800th century because the environment cant be changed that much because the house still has to maintain its 1800th century feel. I would pick a different role maybe next time.