Learning the process – design charrette

The design of a financial institution branch or workplace doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it’s a fundamentally collaborative process. Or at least we believe it should be. Surprise or disagreement among stakeholders after a design presentation is an unfortunately common occurrence, and it’s usually due to miscommunication in the hand-off between a building user’s requirement discussions and the design process.

We have a solution to this, nurturing that hand-off and integrating our clients into the design process. We kick off the design phase of our projects with the charrette, a live, collaborative design session. Here, key project stakeholders sit down with Momentum’s project management and design team to hash out design concepts and develop a conceptual design.

This immediate feedback loop and direct collaboration eliminates the need for the tedious back-and-forth between stakeholders in the traditional design process. What does the staffing model look like and what type of layout should support it? How will the building look and feel? What technology and banking equipment will be incorporated and how will the space support it? How will visitors and staff navigate the building?

During the charrette, these ideas are discussed in real time while the design team creates draft design documents. Misunderstandings, miscommunications, and competing ideas are dealt with immediately and don’t have the opportunity to grow into larger problems over time.

 

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