“Our approach to design is somewhat unique,” says Don Leidy, principal, Maintenance Design Group (MDG), one of the leading specialty consulting firms in the U.S. that specializes in the planning and design of transportation operations and maintenance facilities. “Using the Design Charrette approach – an intensive, on-site planning and design session – accomplishes in one week what can take months if done by traditional methods.
“The Design Charrette builds consensus and harmony while a standard design approach can lead to misunderstanding and disagreement.”
He says that in the Design Charrette, a typical week might include:
Day One – MDG presents six or eight site layouts to its client's work group to review. The sketches are put up on the wall and everyone discusses what they like and don't like about each. Once MDG has everyone's comments, it takes the sketches back to the drawing board for the initial fine tuning.
Day Two – The design team narrows the six to eight site layouts down to two or three. These new designs incorporate everyone's comments and begin to show parking details and rough landscaping features.
Days Three to Five – Another review session and more refinements occur before MDG combines these last choices down to one final site layout. With the preliminary master plan in hand, MDG turns its focus on the inside of the buildings.
Next Two Days – Over the next two days, MDG and the planning team review building interior options and discuss equipment needs in the same open forum until a conceptual design is agreed upon.
