• Home
• Introduction
• Assessing Renewable Energy Options
• Planning, Programming, & Budgeting
• Project Funding
• Building Design
  • Design Team
  • Design Team Charrette
    • Effective Design Strategies
  • Preliminary Design (15%)
  • Schematic Design (35%)
  • Design Development (65%)
  • Construction Documents (100%)
  • Design-Build Project Delivery
• Project Construction
• Commissioning
• Operations & Maintenance
• Major Renovations
• Training
• Outreach
• Resources
• Acknowledgements
• Contacts

Design Team Charrette

Holding a design team charrette is a key first step in bringing together the entire design team, including the agency, the winning architectural and engineering (A&E) firm, other design team members, and key experts that can inform the early design process. For renewable energy integration, the agency's project energy lead must be involved at this stage. Bringing the design team members together early is essential in ensuring that design requirements for energy are incorporated into the design efforts moving forward.

A design charrette provides an opportunity for designers, users, and other decision makers to give input on how to best integrate their respective efforts into the project. The design charrette is a process that allows both the agency and the design team to understand the needs and perspectives of all involved parties. Typically, the architect-engineer or design-build team would consult with an independent party to facilitate the charrette. However, this can also be procured by the agency or agency's representative.

Because of the more well-defined scope definition that typically results from a design charrette, project costs can be effectively optimized through reduced design overlaps and associated design and construction costs. Through a charrette and subsequent integrated design process, information received by the design team can best be shared with both the agency and the workers constructing the project. This allows consideration for alternative strategies that serve to meet the project goals, if needed, throughout the design process.

The most common renewable energy technologies and tips for integrating them successfully are outlined within strategies for effective design.