Q & A
with Randy Knowles, Landscape Architect – The Dubay Group
How did you first become involved with the Plan NH Charrette Program, and what drew you to volunteer in the beginning?
Jeff Taylor, one of the original members and charette facilitators of PlanNH, asked me to participate in the Farmington, NH design charette in November of 1998. I had never been part of such a concentrated design process and was immediately hooked. At the time, I was an emerging professional finishing my degree and on the track to licensure as a Landscape Architect. I remember driving back to the office late that Friday night to pull together base plans, make blueprints and then rushing back to Farmington early the next morning. Though technology has advanced, when I participate today, I still feel the same energy that I felt that initial Saturday, as the team feverously hand sketched the ideas generated by the previous day’s discussion.
What keeps you coming back to participate in charrettes year after year?
The process itself keeps me coming back. I enjoy the fast-paced process, working with other designers, planners, developers, stakeholders and municipal leaders to compile a conceptual plan, solution or path that enables a municipality to save historic buildings/sites, or create safer pedestrian environments that in turn promote economic development within these communities.
Is there a particular charrette moment or project that stands out as especially meaningful to you?
Having participated in more than twenty PlanNH charettes it is hard to narrow it down to just one. I think no matter what municipality or study area; it is the moment at the end of the charette when you know that your efforts and illustrations have helped spark an idea or motivated the community or individual to think outside of the box. Years later that same feeling is rediscovered when you see a project initiated by a PlanNH charette come to fruition.
How have you seen the charrette program evolve during your time as a volunteer?
Like any organization, the membership and leadership at PlanNH inevitably changes. I commend PlanNH that that their overall goal or intent of the charette program remains. Technology has dramatically changed, almost giving us access to too much information to process in the two-day format. Thankfully, the facilitators and seasoned participants have not allowed this to overwhelm the process. Initially the charettes I participated in focused on more rural communities. Places I had never visited, Barnstead, Madison, Middleton… I appreciate that over time, PlanNH has shifted the effort to include more urban communities.
What impact do you believe the charrettes have had on New Hampshire communities?
There are so many examples of positive impact that PlanNH Charettes have had on countless New Hampshire communities. The list of historic buildings saved or repurposed, the economic growth that most communities have realized and the infrastructure created from this thirty-year program is proof.
In what ways has volunteering with Plan NH influenced your own professional or personal growth?
My almost 30-year participation in PlanNH has yielded great networking opportunities, allowed me to advocate for the profession of landscape architecture, and given me the benefit of working with affiliate professions outside of the work environment. Early participation as an emerging professional gave me connections that expanded design opportunities and highlighted my skills. Later years as I became more involved nationally on the board of the American Society of Landscape Architects, it gave me a vehicle to spotlight my profession within local communities and the New Hampshire design community.
What do you enjoy most about collaborating with multidisciplinary teams during a charrette weekend?
The process allows each of us to think outside of the box and you leave reinvigorated professionally. We are all good at what we do daily, but solving design problems with a fresh group of designers often awakens the creativity that drew each of us to the design profession. Collaboration always leads to learning and pushes us in new directions.
As Plan NH celebrates 30 years of charrettes, what message or reflection would you like to share about the program’s legacy?
PlanNH and its volunteer members should take immense pride in the impact that their advocacy efforts have had on New Hampshire communities and the built environment. Any single professional association might not have had the same results. I believe that the well-rounded team compiled for each charette is key to the success of PlanNH.
Plan NH is grateful for Randy's participation on the following Charrette Teams:
- Farmington, 1998
- Newport, 1999
- Deerfield, 2000
- Madison, 2001
- Goffstown, 2002
- Middleton, 2002
7. Meredith 2005
8. Barnstead, 2006
9. Franklin Falls, 2006
10. Sunapee, 2007
11. Plaistow, 2011
12. Littleton, 2012
13. Littleton, 2019
14. Manchester, 2019
15. Wolfboro, 2021
16. Temple, 2022
17. Campton, 2023
18. Manchester, 2025
19. Hampton, 2025
