OCADU Winter 2025 Design Charrette: Collaborative Housing For the Future

This term, experience the OCAD U Winter 2025 Design Charrette, leading into OCAD U’s Design Week! Join the workshop and design new Affordable, Transitional, and Supportive Housing solutions across Ontario! Work directly with leading Ontario community associations to develop concept designs for future housing projects that are desperately needed. We are looking for students and professionals from multiple programs and disciplines, as the Design Charrette is a collaborative and creative process that brings together diverse groups of students, professionals, and community stakeholders over an intense period of brainstorming to imagine, plan, and implement a collective future. 

WHAT IS INVOLVED? Interdisciplinary teams tackle a complex and wicked challenge, thus being encouraged to take a systematic perspective to the problem at hand. The projects are related to real life challenges and therefore engage community stakeholders and professional advisors and experts to help enrich the examination of the problem at hand. The approach to the problem involves co-creation, not only with the charrette teams but with the project stakeholders and the community at large and the general public and planet in general which have to live with and use the solutions that are being developed. Concepts are then developed into working prototype solutions, culminating in formal presentations to the larger group, forcing the teams to learn how to effectively communicate these solutions to others.

WHAT:

On behalf of the Dean of Design, Lesley-Ann Noel, we invite you to make a meaningful impact in this exciting, intensive design workshop event.

THE PROBLEM: 

Ontario faces a critical shortage of affordable and supportive housing, leaving many vulnerable populations without adequate shelter. Addressing this issue requires innovative, interdisciplinary solutions.

THE SOLUTION:

This Design Charrette brings together students, professionals, community stakeholders, and experts to collaboratively develop concept designs. 

THE BENEFITS: 

• Collaborative Innovation: Participants gain hands-on experience tackling complex, wicked challenges.
• Real-World Impact: Solutions address pressing housing needs.
• Prototype Creation: Concepts are developed into actionable designs and presented to stakeholders.
• Certification: Receive recognition from OCAD U for participation.
• Professional Development: Work alongside community leaders including Homes First, The Gathering Place, The Neighbourhood Group, St. Stephens Community Apartments, Catholic Children’s Aid Society Toronto, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Taking place in person February 20-24, 2025, at the OCAD U Waterfront Campus, 130 Queens Quay East Tower. For more information and to register, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/PkP2r5grQmuUdw5Z6 .