Students Reimagine Design of Logan Campus During 24th Annual Charrette Week

A group of unlikely companions band together to tackle a seemingly insurmountable challenge, and the clock is ticking. It sounds like the plot for a movie, but for one all-consuming week, it’s reality in USU’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning.

This year the intense, collaborative studio event, called Charrette, brought together students, faculty, professional partners and emeriti for more than 800 hours of work to generate big-thinking, highly creative solutions on a shared topic. The year’s theme hit close to home — reimagining the USU Logan campus.

Nearly 200 people helped to launch the event on Monday morning, many suspending regular classes and homework schedules to participate dawn-to-dusk in the shared studio space. Students were divided into nine teams, each with leaders from the senior class, focusing on key design concepts in a professional-style experience. Topics included things like transportation, making connections outside campus, student social spaces, waterwise planting, campus identity and more.

For nearly three decades, the charrette program has served an array of Utah communities from Bear Lake to Bluff. This year’s focus on campus was something of a shift. Ideas coming out of the week may sometimes be out-of-the box, but they aren’t just homework.

“This is not just a theoretical exercise,” said Deandra Harps, advisor in the department and alumni of the program. “This community engaged learning is typical for us and makes a tangible impact on the communities where we’ve been involved. It’s a big difference in how we approach things — we don’t assume the best course of action. Input from the community is the foundation of the design approach.”

The week involved an open house, a final presentation and significant efforts to gather perspective, ideas and information from students and staff across campus.

"It feels like a legacy project,” said Lauren Johnson, a charrette leader and senior, majoring in landscape architecture. “We want this place to be great and to reflect the experiences we've had while improving it for future generations."

Heated sidewalks? A shopping suite adjacent to Maverik Stadium? A wind farm? Aggie Boulevard pedestrian-only? Nothing is off the table, according to Jake Powell, a faculty leader of the event.

Design efforts focused on reclaiming forgotten spaces, he said, the nooks and crannies between buildings sporting loading docks and dumpsters. The process can give some of these high-traffic but neglected areas the attention they deserve.

But in the age of online learning and remote work, this kind of in-person experience can be a stretch.

“The process, it’s intense,” said Cameron Hill, a senior in landscape architecture and charrette leader. "But it exposes you to a new way of thinking, solving problems in a focused, face-to-face, connected environment. In just one week, it's really impressive that we landed on some really innovative ideas.”

How many of them will become reality?

“The really good ideas have gravity to pull attention and funding,” Powell said. “There is power in starting with big concepts rather than listing all your constraints. Great ideas can be catalysts for attracting support, grants and leading future design.”

The majors in LAEP offer a unique community that is reflected through the charrette — collaborative and close-knit with a long-lasting network extending beyond graduation, according to Natalie Kae Humpherys, communications specialist for the department. Students interested can get a glimpse into related careers through one of the department’s introductory courses: LAEP 1030 or 1040. Anyone is also welcome to request a tour.