Charretting is Caring

This past summer I worked for a firm in Denver, CO that won the project to design Denver’s World Trade Center. The office is situated in RiNo, the River North Art District, which (despite its increasing gentrification) possesses a strong community bond established by the many artists and other creatives that live and work there. When the time came for starting the design of the World Trade Center, OZ hosted a community charrette because they believed that incorporating the ideas and work of RiNo’s creative community was essential for the project, which is sited in the district. As you can see from the pictures above, the charrette attracted a large participation group. I consider the event a massive success not just because of its effect on the design, but also because the sense of community in the neighborhood was strengthened by the charrette. Artists and other people from across the city were talking and making friends with one another as a result of an architectural project. As someone who believes that architects have spent the past 100 years separating themselves from society at large, seeing such a large community event spawned out of architecture was an very heartening experience.