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Your brief is a document that describes your needs, aspirations and constraints for your building project. It forms the basis from which your architect will develop the design for your project. For a straightforward project, the brief may be little more than a schedule of accommodation. For more complicated projects, or where you have particular requirements or expectations, the brief will require more detail.
The importance of the brief cannot be overstated. It is the basis from which the design will evolve and design alternatives or options will be tested. It is not uncommon to find that, as the design develops, conflicts in the brief emerge and trade-offs become necessary. As the client, you must approve the brief and any changes to it. It is important that the brief is not seen as a definitive document with little capacity to change or be modified. The brief should establish the requirements that must be met, the requirements that are desirable and the requirements that are optional. You and your architect will use the brief to review design options and this process may suggest that the brief is modified as design alternatives are developed. Understand that for changes to the brief that result in redundant work or increased scope, the architect may be entitled to claim for additional fees.
Developing an effective brief is a two-way process. You may have already thoughts about the design and your requirements, often in the form of sketches, photos, cuttings, notes etc. This can help inform the framework for initial discussions with your architect. Your architect will help you assemble your information into a structured form to produce the final brief. Your role and participation in this process is vital to the success of the project.
While your architect is trained to gather the information required for the brief, you (and potentially your stakeholders) are best placed to describe your requirements. You have the best understanding of your personal or business needs and how your business, community or home operates. You understand how your lifestyle, business activities or community aspirations can be fulfilled by an appropriate design solution.
Some of this information is quantifiable, such as:
- the location
- number of rooms or enclosed offices to be provided
- the number of people to cater/provide space for
- the heights or volumes of spaces
- the use of the spaces
- equipment or machinery to be accommodated
- the flexibility of spaces
- the need for future expansion or changed use
- durability and quality of finishes
- environmental expectations
- sustainability expectations
- energy use expectation
- project budget
- project program.
While other aspects are qualitative, such as:
- ambience of spaces
- the corporate, public or personal image to be conveyed
- the use of natural light
- privacy
- colours.
Developing an effective and comprehensive brief is critical to the success of your project. The most successful briefs are those that are developed cooperatively with your architect, which clearly define your requirements yet incorporate a level of flexibility which allows a creative solution to be designed for your project.
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