An Integrated Design Eco‐charrette: A Model for Sustainable Campus Building and Landscape Design

Margot McDonald, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Abstract

Campuses as living laboratories for sustainable design is a powerful concept. Yet, how do we move from theory to practice in making our campus buildings and landscapes "green"? This presentation will illustrate how three interdisciplinary design teams, specializing in green design, were hired to generate alternative schemes for a campus sustainable technology park through a 3-day intensive design process that brought architects, engineers, facilities personnel, faculty, and students together on campus for a common design goal. Members of the design teams will share their perspectives on the eco-charrette as a means to successfully introduce sustainability concepts into campus buildings and landscape design. This case study provides a model that facilities managers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, campus administrators, faculty and students, can adopt to accelerate the integration of innovative green design technologies and strategies into their projects. Specifically, the charrette demonstrated that advanced pre-design planning and research by campus staff and faculty combined with experienced and integrated design teams brought in at the conceptual stage can provide educational and institutional value in affecting both the learning and physical environment on campus.