The actual turnaround time for the landscape architect design back to the client after the OST meeting was only 40 days (incredible when compared to the two years it usually took). When the client was presented with the plan, 95% of it was immediately approved (again almost unheard of in that industry). To read about the OST process that was designed for Virginia to do her magic as a landscape architect, go to http://www.openspacetechnology.com/articles/landscape.html The article has a lot of tips on how to design an OST meeting when a specialty such as a landscape master plan is to be the end product. In this situation, the Military were the client, AND Virginia was my client. If the OST meeting had not generated enough data for Virginia to do her work, she would have been in difficulty with her client, the Military because she would have been unable to deliver on our promise of a quick turn around time.
Two years after this OST meeting and the final approved landscape master plan, I was leading a workshop in another part of the country. Michael (a participant) said he had a story to tell. He told us that when he was getting ready to attend the workshop, he explained where he was going to his elderly father, assuming his father would not be able to grasp OST (especially since his father was a very traditional military man who liked order). As Michael was explaining to his father, the father said "I know what this OST is. I was in one of those meetings at the military college. And it sure produced results." Michael then told us that a few weeks before, his father had been the one to lead the military parade in the opening ceremony of a new archway on the property---the master plan for the landscape had been followed and Michael's father was very proud of it all, including his participation at the meeting where they came up with all the ideas. And he was full of praise for the efficiency of the process of OST to get them where they needed to go, and without conflict. Birgitt -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 8:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Fusion of Open Space & Charrette Some time ago, Virginia Burt, a Landscape Architect from Canada began the practice of using Open Space as the introductory element for her consultations with clients. Initially, she did this with Birgit Williams, and I am not sure whether she continues the practice – but her stories were marvelous. I remember in particular one in which Virginia had the assignment to do the park/garden for a/the Canadian Military College, This was a large project covering multiple acres, and apparently it had been under intense discussion for years, and not very productively. As I recall, she said that is was normal to spend several years on a project with multiple changes and no small amount of hard feelings all around. With Open Space, the design time shrank to 6 months with few if any changes. And changes in design, once the project has started are what drive everybody crazy, if only because they inevitably drive up costs and time required to produce a finished product. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20845 Phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Zelle Nelson Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 11:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Fusion of Open Space & Charrette Hello, My experience with Open Space and an architect/design project is actually from a project I worked on with BP in Scotland. The 60 person business unit I was working with was moving from one part of the building complex to another (most would agree the space they were moving into was the worst space in the building). I started with an Open Space Visioning meeting where in addition to the usual markers and paper for Open Space I added magazines (design, nature, home furnishings, etc.) a big roll of paper, scissors, and glue. I invited the group to talk about what they envisioned the ideal work space to be and to cut out pictures from the magazines, use words, and pictures to create a collage of what the new space might feel like. We took this collage, along with the results from the Open Space and shared this with the architects and designers (the designers/architects were invited to be at the visioning Open Space) assigned to the project. Some incredible ideas that I could never have thought of on my own, along with the many concerns about moving to "the worst space in the building" were folded into the design process which also took into account budget constraints and site needs/requests. The design team then came back with a design for the new work space (which included skylights and a "yellow brick road" gleaned from the first Open Space). We took these sketches/blue prints and went back into Open Space with cut out furniture options and pencil and paper. Each team then looked at the areas available and filled in the design details specific to their needs. Conversation and negotiation took place between the different teams and a consensus design was reached. The final result was an exceptional work space that was loved by the business unit and the "worst space" in the building is now considered the best place to be. Along the way, I worked with individuals and teams around learning how to create places that work for them instead of trying to fit into someone else's design. I gave them, tools and a language to find the best mix between personal and team needs. I have a digital story (mini movie) which describes the process and the transformation in more detail. If you would like to see that I could send it to you. You could also visit my website www.knowplacelikehome.com to find out more. Hope this helps. With Grace and Love, Zelle ************ Zelle Nelson Know Place Like Home/State of Grace Document [email protected] office - 828.693.0398 mobile - 847.951.7030 Isle of Skye 2021 Greenville Hwy Flat Rock, NC 28731 Chris Macrae wrote: If I am digesting the correspondence correctly, I can start to feel a kaleidoscopic experience of all my favourite explorative tools connecting people's visual sensing with the physical: Open Space The Charrette's special competence to keep visual notes of proceedings in each of the expert's deliverable formats and in an open way for all participants Pattern Rules - a human wisdom banking idea from architecture I love wow if we could get the public talking to architects talking to engineers talking to policy makers through such an open train of methods, the environmenst we live in could be wholly different Has anyone tried linking with experts in knowledge-cities and their social capitals- This is a very hot concept emerging in knowledge management, and for some reason KM/SC people seem to get research funds and spaces many of us don't (or maybe we dont need the burden of such funds). chris macrae PREVIOUSLY Most charrette facilitators are architects who have learned their "facilitation" skills in the trenches and have no separate training in conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, etc. I have been trying to bridge the two fields, as I think they have a lot to learn from each other. A short essay I wrote about this ( Hurley, Jennifer. 2003. "The Public Process and New Urbanism", Research Report for the Knight Program in Community Building, University of Miami School of Architecture.) is available at http://www.hfadesign.com/newsroom/publications.html. Here's the quick summary: What Can Charrette Practitioners Learn from Consensus-Building? By learning from the experience of mediators and facilitators, charrette organizers could leverage the event to create more support for the results of the charrette, resulting in more faithful implementation. Key aspects that charrette organizers could learn from consensus-building: € A robust theoretical basis for practice can inform the understanding of the process and suggest possibilities when problems arise. € Situating the charrette event in a larger decision-making framework that includes pre-charrette outreach and post-charrette consensus-building increases the chances of implementation. € Using the charrette to aid group learning and build civic capital would leverage the event to develop local leaders who can champion the plan long after the event. € Charrette organizers could adopt specific skills from mediators and facilitators, including stakeholder analysis, the use of ground rules, neutral mediation/facilitation, agenda-setting, and consensus-building techniques. What Can Charrette Practitioners Add to Consensus-Building? I have focused this article on describing what I think charrette organizers can learn from consensus-building. However, I also believe that charrettes are a technique that discussion-based mediators and facilitators should learn about: € Charrettes are a great improvement over discussion-based processes for addressing physical and design issues. Words are a cumbersome medium when the problem is visual. € The compressed time frame of a charrette creates incredible excitement and momentum. In contrast, discussion-based processes can take months, if not years, and are often tedious and sometimes downright painful. The last two points touch on Chris's question: So that's why I am asking is their a specific charrette focus that olnly expert charrette people buld in? They key is that charrettes have architects, designers, engineers, and other technical experts working on site to create a plan using drawings. There's a specific product expected at the end of the week-long charrette. I think a one- or two-day OS would be a wonderful way to start a charrette (perhaps taking the place of more structured "stakeholder" meetings). Jennifer * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. 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