Our Process

We are an RIBA Chartered architectural practice and can provide the complete range of architectural services. Our process follows the RIBA’s Plan of Work. [Include Link]

The RIBA Plan of Work breaks down the phases of a project into eight stages, from briefing and design to construction and completion. It’s a lot of information to take in, so we’ve taken the opportunity to break it down into a more user-friendly format, summarising what you can expect the process and outcomes to look like.

While no two projects or clients are alike, the Plan of Work provides a framework that can be tailored to suit the needs of your project, whether we’re involved from the earliest stage, helping you determine the building you require or supporting you in our role as delivery architects to realise schemes that have already achieved planning consent.

0 – 1

This stage is where we listen to your goals and ambitions, helping you to determine the best way forward for the project.

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0 – 1

RIBA Work Stage 0 Strategic Definition

This stage is where we listen to your goals and ambitions, helping you to determine the best way forward for the project.

Whether you’ve got a property you want to adapt or a site you’re interested in developing, we’ll help you understand what’s possible.

RIBA Work Stage 1 Preparation and Brief

This is where we start shaping the brief, asking plenty of questions and listening carefully to understand your needs and ambitions for the project. At the same time, we will investigate the project’s opportunities and constraints, for example, planning policy or listed buildings along with any third-party interests such as freeholders from whom a licence to alter will be required.

If we haven’t already, we’ll meet and visit the site, getting to know you and the project in more detail. We much prefer face-to-face meetings rather than phone or video calls, as we find that this helps to promote a more open dialogue to allow you to discuss and develop your aspirations for the project.

If required, we’ll assist in commissioning a “measured survey” of your site and obtain quotes from reputable companies. The survey provides accurate plans we need to develop the proposals. Sometimes, we may simply require an OS Map or 3D OS Map to prepare an initial site layout.

2

This is where we prepare our first sketches, exploring ideas and testing options that meet the brief.

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2

RIBA Work Stage 2 Concept Design

This is where we prepare our first sketches, exploring ideas and testing options that meet the brief.

As part of this process, we will research and identify the opportunities, constraints and risks relating to the project and advise you on the need for any required approvals and investigations (i.e., planning consent, freeholder consent, structural surveys, etc.).

This stage also involves preparing our initial concept designs showing options that respond to the brief established during Stage 1. We will then meet with you to go through the options and look at how they can be developed.

As the scheme develops, we will review the other consultants required on the project and advise if any additional ones are needed; for example, on sensitive projects the input of a specialist planning consultant may be beneficial or where the scheme involves a heritage asset, a heritage consultant may be required.

Where appropriate, this stage will include preparing and submitting an enquiry to the local planning department for pre-application advice. Pre-application advice is a service offered by local planning authorities that allows us, on your behalf, to discuss your proposals with the planning department. It gives us an opportunity to test the water early on before going too far down the road with the design.

One consultant we always recommend bringing on board at this stage is a Quantity Surveyor to prepare an initial cost estimate to make sure that the brief’s aspirations, in terms of design, align with the figure you are looking to invest in the project. The cost plan will then be updated as the project progresses, and further detail is added.

The planner’s response will inform the conclusion of Stage 2, at which point we will meet with you to discuss the response and agree the next steps.

3

Following the end of our Stage 2 review, we will assess and discuss with you the potential strategies to mitigate the risks at the planning stage.

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3

RIBA Work Stage 3 Spatial Coordination

Following the end of our Stage 2 review, we will assess and discuss with you the potential strategies to mitigate the risks at the planning stage, especially where some aspects of the scheme may be more or less contentious than others.

This is the stage where we get into the detail, including developing the design to the point where an application for planning approval can be submitted.

Key to this stage will be the coordination of information prepared by the other members of the design team, such as a planning consultant, heritage consultant, tree specialist, ecologist, noise assessor or rights of light consultant, to ensure that the scheme is developed in suitable detail to comply with planning policy.

Once the application is submitted, we will monitor the application or if a planning consultant has been appointed, we will liaise with them up to receipt of a decision.

It is important to note that while once upon a time planning departments would engage with proposals and suggest changes required to make the scheme acceptable, there is less interaction from them these days. That’s why there is more onus on the application team to use the pre-application process to gauge the planners’ response and demonstrate compliance with the relevant policies as part of the application process.

This approach is particularly beneficial for developers working with existing buildings, where they can effectively bank a viable consent but then potentially pursue a riskier addition while progressing the subsequent stages for the majority of the development. It can also be beneficial to owner-occupier clients.

Once we have the decision from the planners we can talk about what happens next.

4

There are a variety of ways in which a project can be taken through the construction process. Whether this is a full traditional service or a design and build route.

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4

RIBA Work Stage 4 Technical Design

Whilst the route through the planning process is generally similar there are a variety of ways in which a project can be taken through the construction process. Whether this is a full traditional service or a design and build route, we can provide the required services.

After achieving planning consent, a construction project can progress through various procurement routes depending on the client’s priorities, risk profile, and desired level of control.

A Traditional procurement route sees the architect develop the technical design through RIBA Stage 4 in conjunction with other members of the design team, with contractors tendering on a fully coordinated set of drawings – offering greater design control and quality assurance.

Alternatively, a Design and Build approach allows for earlier contractor involvement, often transferring design responsibility to the contractor from Stage 4 onwards, which can streamline delivery and offer cost certainty. Hybrid approaches are also possible, including novation of the architect to the contractor or acting as Executive Architect to deliver a third party’s concept design. Each method carries different implications for design responsibility, risk and programme, and can be tailored to suit the needs of each project.

This stage will also involve reviewing these options to construct the project, as there are a number of different ways in which this can be done that will influence the scope of service required from the design team and the professionals forming it.

5

Depending on the selected procurement route, our role during construction may include conducting site inspections and being on hand to resolve queries as they arise.

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5

RIBA Work Stage 5 Construction*

Depending on the selected procurement route, our role during construction may include conducting site inspections and being on hand to resolve queries as they arise.

Subject to the selected procurement route, our involvement can include the administration of the building contract, review of specialist and contractor information, periodic site inspections and resolving site queries as required up to completion of the project on site.

*The RIBA Plan of Work refers to “Manufacturing and Construction” to reflect that some schemes involve modern methods of construction, including off-site manufacture and pre-fabrication. We prefer to call it “Construction”.

6 – 7

This stage starts with handing the building over to you.

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6 – 7

RIBA Work Stage 6 Handover and Close Out

This stage starts with handing the building over to you.

Where a project has been procured under a JCT Contract, there is a 12-month rectification period. The client retains a percentage of the contract sum until the end of the rectification period when defects have been made good and the final certificate is issued.

During this stage, we are still here for you to work with the contractor and other members of the design team to resolve any issues.

RIBA Work Stage 7 In Use

This stage focuses on a building’s ongoing operation, maintenance, and post-occupancy evaluation, ensuring the building functions as intended and its sustainability goals are met.

As future-oriented architects, we believe in continuous learning and improvement, feeding learning from all our projects into future ones. We want to understand how well a scheme works by listening to clients, occupants or users. Or through data collection on a building’s performance in terms of energy, water use, overheating, air quality, etc.

Our practice includes Passive House Designers who are experts in designing low-energy homes and retrofitting existing homes. As part of this role, monitoring completed projects is vital to check that the energy targets are being realised.

Our Process

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