Design Charrette

March 11, 2011 by

After news that our team would not be participating in the 2011 Solar Decathlon, leaders began to implement a four year design cycle aiming towards the hopeful 2013 Decathlon.  Possibilities of foreign competitions, such as China and Spain, are also being continually discussed.  Initial design consideration led to the development of the team’s new design concept.  As of now this concept is “Industrial Revelation” and showcases modern industrial design, with multipurpose space usage and furnishings.  This concept will be implemented by exposing various mechanical, electrical, and structural systems.  We also hope to to re-purpose several materials to use in our house and avoid any common and unsustainable finishes.

After weeks of initial design within the current groups: Architectural, Passive Solar, Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, and Home Automation, they all came together for a design “charrette”. During this two hour session, members and leaders from all of Missouri S&T’s design subgroups came together to explain their ideas developed throughout the semester.

After having each group lead present to the rest of the team, time was taken to allow members to comment on system integration and potential design considerations, and to brainstorm solutions to these challenges. 

We then headed for the Butler-Carlton Hall atrium where the proposed floor plan for the next house was laid out on the terrazzo floor. This interactive aid helped team members visualize the layout and get a better feeling of space usage and flow. 


We plan to have several design charettes in the future to ensure integration of the groups and a well-balanced house. This isn’t just some pretty box with an HVAC system shoved in and a PV array thrown on the roof – where would the challenge be in that?  We pride ourselves on system integration and interdisciplinary teamwork.

-Benjamin Brannon (Director of Design and Construction)

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