YOUR ARCHITECTURAL BRIEF

Architectural briefs are the key to making sure that your building project is a success. Get it right and you’ll have the home or building you’ve always dreamed about. Get it wrong and you can waste a lot of time and money – and get an inferior result. Writing an architectural brief isn’t just about telling your design team what size house/extension/building you want – it’s much more than that. There are a lot of other things to consider when briefing your architect to ensure you not only get the best result, but that you keep to your budget too. I have outlined the main things to consider, but every home/building is different (school/factory etc) and may need to provide additional information for your architect to consider.

BE OPEN MINDED
The first thing is to try not to be too prescriptive in your brief to your architectural design team. Don’t just focus on the solution by just telling them what to draw up! Try to make it more of two-way conversation. Architects are trained to create beautiful buildings and spaces and you should use their skill to help you translate your idea into a creation. Giving your architect a clear but open brief will mean you’ll benefit from their experience. If nothing else, they will give you some ideas to consider and you may even find that the designs they produce are a huge improvement on what you originally had in mind.

LET THE ARCHITECT UNDERSTAND YOUR HOME, BUILDING OR BUSINESS
Talk to your architect about your family, lifestyle or business. Let them get to know you a little. Describe what you like about your home or building – and how you use the different spaces. For example, you might need a work space for working from home, now more than ever, but don’t have room for a separate office, or you have a board room that needs to double up as a space for functions/presentations, or your warehouse needs to be further divided at a future time.

Consider all of the aspects of your property, for example:
• Is it light enough?
• Are there areas you never use?
• Does it overheat in the summer months or have cold spots in winter?
• Is there enough storage space?
• Is noise an issue – either within the building or from the outside?
• Does the way you use your spaces change through the day?
• Do you think your use of the spaces will change over the coming years?

WHAT YOU ARE HOPING TO ACHIEVE
What kind of ideas do you have about design and / or materials?
Do you have any images from magazines/internet that show the architect a style that you like?
Maybe the architect has a building in their previous work that you particularly like?
Explain what you’re hoping to achieve and how you’d like to live/work in your newly improved or new home/building.

OUTSIDE SPACES
Discuss outside spaces too.
Consider the orientation of your plot.
Where does the sun rise and set? This might have an important impact on what outside seating and recreational spaces would want to create for BBQs, dining or quiet spaces to sit and reflect.
How you would like to use your garden/outside areas? Do you enjoy having a garden or do you want a space that requires little or no maintenance.

Do you need car parking or bike racks?
If you have any particular must-have elements that should be included or borne in mind, then make sure you highlight these upfront. This could be anything from being able to adapt and open up the space to host large events – or improving the accessibility within the home/building or into the garden for elderly relatives.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Do you have any specific considerations toward sustainability and energy efficiency – is there a particular system you would like to use? i.e. solar panels etc.
Start by considering how comfortable your home/building currently is:
• Is it draughty?
• Are there cold spots in the winter?
• Are there places which are uncomfortably warm in the summer?
• What about your running costs? Are they very high?
• Do you have enough hot water, whenever you need it?
• What is your attitude towards the environment?
• Are you interested in investing money in green technologies now to save money later?

CONSTRUCTION BUDGET
Once you have established what you have to spend – your construction budget – it’s time to share your budget assumptions with your architect. Make sure that they understand what needs to be included in these sums. For example, VAT, levels of fit-out, fees etc. Likewise highlight any additional costs to bear in mind – for example if you’re planning a highly energy efficient home with triple glazing and renewable technologies or if you want to install expensive items such as a feature staircase or a hand-built kitchen. Later in budget discussions, always be clear about elements of the design that you would really like to retain and what you would be willing to compromise on.