Design Charrettes

Our ongoing Design Charrette program aims to highlight the value of good design, critical thinking and public dialogue for improving our shared built environment. 

Design charrettes are blue-sky visioning exercises that explore contemporary design challenges. They elicit quick, provocative and visionary presentations from the professional design community which are then shared with a panel of experts and the public for review and discussion.  

These events provide an open and independent forum for the design profession, public officials and members of the community to engage in thoughtful, productive conversation about the future of Santa Fe. Our charrettes have been instrumental in improving community outreach and ensuring the profession and the public’s participation in better design and policy outcomes. 

Restyle: The Next 25 Years

March 15, 2025 | Design Charrette + Exhibition (April)

1:00 - 5:00 pm // Santa Fe Convention Center - Nambé Room

Since 1912, our regional architectural style has been overwhelmingly successful in accomplishing its explicit goals of promoting tourism and economic development. Up to the last few decades, this style project was meant to support Santa Fe’s future, project its growth, and create new urban forms.

However, emerging internal and external challenges over a century later present the need for transformational strategies that better satisfy promoting tourism and economic development - if indeed those still are Santa Fe’s primary goals.

If we are to reimagine the Santa Fe Style, what might be the underlying needs and values of, and visions for, the City and region that a reimagined style might serve? How might Santa Fe recover its adaptive design creativity and visions of the future to serve today’s and tomorrow’s populations and environments?

In this two-part design charrette, we will explore speculative design thinking to envision possible futures for Santa Fe's built environment and to create artifacts that inspire others to do the same.

The suggested donation for this event is $5-10. Registration is required to attend and will be capped at 40 participants.

Parking for the event is available in the Convention Center parking garage located at 119 S. Federal Place. The event will be on the second floor in the Nambe Room.

Registration and Waitlist here.