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The AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AIA/AAH) student design charrette, sponsored with STERIS Corporation, promotes the creative, innovative and sensitive design of healthcare settings. During a recent charrette, students conceptualized mobile disaster response hospitals.

Student teams from four universities are selected each year to participate in the Student Design Charrette held in conjunction with the AIA/AAH Fall Conference. The Charrette planning committee creates a specific project program that will be introduced to participating teams upon arrival at the conference. The Charrette is scheduled to take place over approximately a 48-hour period preceding the conference.

All teams share a large common studio space where conference attendees are invited to interact with the students. All student work is exhibited during the AIA/AAH Reception and in conference galleries. The student teams present their proposals for review and comment during the conference to a panel of architects, educators or other experts involved in health care architecture. The Charrette is not a competition and student work will not be ranked.

The primary objective of the Charrette is to stimulate critical inquiry, creative ideas, and interaction between students, faculty, and design professionals.

The Charrette is an integral part of the AIA/ AAH Fall Conference. After the Charrette, students and their faculty liaisons are provided complementary registration to the conference. The Academy invites and expects students and faculty to participate in the meetings and presentations made at the conference.

Funding: Participating schools receive a grant to assist in participating. This grant is intended to cover part of the cost of student / faculty travel, lodging and participation expenses. Funding for the Charrette is made possible due to a generous gift from the STERIS Corporation.

Charrette Planning Committee:

David Allison, AIA, Professor, Clemson University
Fernando Rodrigues, AIA, Vice President, HOK
Tushar Gupta, AIA, Principal WHR Architects
Ken Webb, AIA, Principal, RTKL

2008 Charrette Materials and Presentation Boards:

Information Packet to Accepted Schools
Project Brief (received on-site)
Arizona State University Presentation Boards
Clemson University Presentation Boards
McGill University Presentation Boards
Virginia Tech’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) Presentation Boards