Using Both Sides of the Brain: Maximizing Outcomes of the Design Charette

Howard Skoke, AIA, EwingCole Architects, Engineers & Planners
Steven Groh, LEED® AP, Smithsonian Institution

The concept of right brain and left brain thinking is a fitting analogue to the design charette. One (right brain) is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. The other (left brain) is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.

Often used only at the beginning of a project as a "brainstorming event," the design charette can also be a recurring feature of the process and an effective tool to generate and refine ideas, educate participants, inspire thought, and build consensus.

An instructive example of this process is a series of projects for the Smithsonian Institution’s Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland. Since 2005, SERC has developed a comprehensive vision for its 2,650-acre site on the Rhode River: planning strategies for research; educational and cultural precincts within the site and specific designs for utility infrastructure; stormwater management; sustainable housing; and environmental laboratories.

Using SERC projects as a backdrop, this session will illustrate different charette strategies, activities, tools, and approaches including themed content, feedback loops, storyboarding, and the use of LEED categories to focus planning and design criteria. This session will describe lessons learned and provide insights from the Smithsonian about institutional commitment to the process and how it is shaping its approach to project management.

Biographies:

Howard Skoke, AIA, is a nationally recognized expert in the planning and design of facilities for a variety of research, corporate, and institutional clients including NASA, USDA, Jefferson Lab, Smithsonian Institution, and Olympus Americas. He has more than 25 years of experience working inclusively with multiple project constituents, leading to successful consensus on complex functional, technical, cost, and design issues.

Mr. Skoke has presented at a variety of conferences, including Healthcare Facility Symposium, Tradeline, R&D Benchmarking Council, and AIA Professional Development Seminars. He has authored numerous articles and white papers on planning and design. His projects have been featured in Healthcare Design Magazine, American School and University Magazine, Hospital & Healthcare News, Lab Animal Magazine, HQ Magazine, and Context, an AIA publication. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), and a former board member of the Community Education Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Skoke, a principal of EwingCole, joined the firm in 1984. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University (Phi Beta Kappa) and a Masters of Architecture degree from Princeton University.

Steven Groh, RA, LEED AP, is a senior project manager for the Smithsonian Institution. He has primary management responsibility for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has also served as project executive for the National Zoological Park and the American Art & Portrait Gallery. He has management oversight for financial performance of more than 40 complex, multi-million dollar planning, design, and construction projects.

Prior to joining the Smithsonian Institution in 1999, Groh was a principal designer and team leader for Trautman Associates, Buffalo, New York. Before that, he was project manager with Cannon Design, one of New York’s premier healthcare firms.

A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Master of Architecture degree, Groh is member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.