The architectural process, Stage 1: Project Development and Analysis, Part 2.

THE ARCHITECTURAL PROCESS
stage 1: project development & analysis

part 2: the DESIGN brief

The second part of stage one is creating your Design Brief for your new home. When the site analysis has been carried out you will sit down with your architect and develop your design brief. The brief, along with the site review, is the fundamental building block from which your new home design will grow. Because of this it’s very important that you get your design brief just right. Anything that you forget to tell your architect, that you really need will not be in your finished home, or will be the cause of expensive re-design fees and may require re-building sections of your home to get it right. As you are creating your brief be aware that if something is not in the brief it won’t be in your new home.

what is the DESIGN brief?

Simply put, the design or project brief, also called a ‘program’, is a list of all your requirements that need to be included in your home.

how to start on your design brief

When you start to create your brief, before you go over your requirements with your architect, it’s best to sit down with all the people who will be living in your home and discuss everything that they need and want. Discuss ideas, go away and think about them, come back to the brief and refine it. Your brief will be a work in progress until you feel that you have recorded everything that you need and want and defined what is important in your home for all your family members.
 
As a starting point you can think about houses that you know and like and consider what aspects of them appeal to you.
Think about the home you are living in now – what works and what doesn’t, what’s great about it, what does it lack?
 
Looking in magazines, collecting images and noting down ideas are great ways to help you to think outside the box.

what to consider when creating your brief

• What are your priorities? Do you need more space, more storage, better natural light, low running costs, better indoor/outdoor connection? Is environmentally friendly design important to you? Do you want to maximise particular views?
• List all the spaces you need (indoor and outdoor) and consider how, when and how often they will be used, what other spaces they need to be close to, or far from, what furniture or equipment is needed and how many people the space needs to accommodate at any time.  How do you want each space to feel?
• Think about the materials and finishes that you like for flooring, walls, windows and doors. You may not have any preferences at all, which is fine too.
• What are your heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs?
• Do you wish to re-use any existing furniture and appliances?
• What is your building budget? When an architect asks you for your budget they are expecting you to give them the amount of money that you have set aside to dedicate solely to the building works. Any additional costs such as professional fees, application costs etc aren’t included in this amount and they will often assume that you understand this to be the case without seeking clarification for you.
• How long do you expect to live in the home, and what are your future plans for the home?
• Do you expect to have more people living with you in the future?
• Consider what you DON’T like in the site at the moment and in homes generally.

what your architect will do

When you work with your architect to create the brief together they will ask you a multitude of questions about your ideas, your needs, your lifestyle and they will hone in on tiny details to make sure that they fully understand your requirements. Typically after your first meeting to create the brief they will put together a draft brief for you to look over which may include items requiring clarification. The draft brief can go backwards and forwards several times to refine the brief. Your job is to go over their brief document and make sure that it perfectly defines everything that you need in your home. 

Don’t start designing... This is the stage for ideas.
 
This early stage of creating your home design brief is a chance to have fun and explore ideas, because right now there are no limitations to your perfect home. Even big ideas that you think are impossible right now, but are things that you would love to have in your home, can be adapted by your architect into creative design solutions that will help your finished home to be absolutely perfect for you.

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Director at Archetype Building Design Studios
B. ARCHITECTURE, B.A. (Architecture), UTS
Master of Dispute Resolution (Faculty of Law, UTS)
Member of the Australian Mediators Association