What is the Meaning of Charette?

The term “Charette” evolved from a pre-1900 exercise at the École des Beaux-Arts in France. Architectural students were given a design problem to solve within an allotted time. When that time was up, the students would rush their drawings from the studio to the École in a cart called a Charette. Students often jumped in the cart to finish drawings on the way. The term evolved to refer to the intense design exercise itself. Today, it refers to a creative process akin to visual brainstorming that is used by design professionals to develop solutions to a design problem within a limited timeframe.