The Charrette

On November 10-12, 2007, NCSU held a three-day design charrette as part of the process to select a lead architect for the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus. The goals of the charrette were to understand how each firm approaches and works through a design problem and to help the Building Committee envision a working relationship with each firm. Six architects were chosen from an initial list of applicants to participate in the design charrette.

  Charrette Project

Prepared by the Office of the University Architect, Facilities Division, the project for the charette was to create a Centennial Classroom Building/Institute of Educational Innovation. The firms were given a project vision, as well as a description that included size, budget, and location. The firms also had to consider master planning concepts, guidelines for sustainability, infrastructure, and relationship to transportation. The firms worked independently, with student volunteers from the College of Design who assisted with technical issues such as printing and participated in the work.

Members of the Building Committee and a jury of architectural faculty from NC State and elsewhere observed each team as it worked on the design problem. The firms created drawings, models, and other documents to present their solutions. On the last day, each firm made a presentation to the Building Committee.

Croxton Collaborative Architects
New York, New York

Duda Paine Architects
Durham, North Carolina

Fentress Architects
Denver, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee
Raleigh, North Carolina

Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott
Boston, Massachusetts

Snøhetta
Oslo, Norway and New York, New York