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We know the best results are achieved in collaboration with you, the people who will inhabit the spaces, so we have tailored a design process to maximise the experience and enjoyment of creating your project.
Each design is measured against core sustainable design principles, to ensure sustainability outcomes are ingrained and will endure the rigours of tender and construction.
The scope of an architect’s services will vary in response to the specific requirements of a project. The services we offer you will be refined based on an initial conversation to establish your project requirements. We would love to discuss your project – Contact.
The following is a guide to the process we undertake across various project types.
Architects can play an important role in setting the strategic direction of your project, even before any design work is undertaken. This involvement might start with a meeting to discuss the purpose and goals of your project, through to engagement with project stakeholders and funding bodies.
Through strategic master planning, we can assist in developing assessment criteria related to your project budget, timeframes and procurement options, and support you to implement steps and strategies to progress the viability of your project.
Through this phase we can provide targeted advice to support your understanding of:
If you would like to discuss the direction of your project, feel free visit our Contact page.
If you require a building inspection you will need to engage a suitable building practitioner with the required expertise and insurance to provide such advice – we can assist.
Understanding your project requirements
Architects play a key role in supporting the development of your project brief, which is a document that records your project requirements, both functional and aspirational. The project brief underlies all architectural design work, so it is a key document in ensuring the success of your project. The brief might evolve from the immediate needs of your family, through to a consultation process with key stakeholders.
We can provide you with a proforma to ensure we ask all of the right questions. Importantly, we set objectives for vital aspects such as sustainable and inclusive design outcomes.
This process is the first step in identifying any project budget and brief misalignments – we prefer to catch these as early in the project as possible and typically seek the support of a quantity surveyor via a cost plan.
We can begin to assess the impact of your preferred timeframes – this will include the preparation of a project program.
Understanding your site
The pre-design stage includes a site visit to establish the existing site conditions. A land surveyor is typically engaged to provide a ‘levels and features’ survey. Some properties require the site boundaries to be re-established, especially if the intention is to build to boundaries in suburban areas. We can’t always take for granted that fencelines match your title boundaries.
Following this, we produce an existing site and floor plan, as well as existing elevations to inform our design work.
We will develop our understanding of the opportunities and constraints related to your sustainability and inclusive design objectives.
If not completed as part of the project direction phase, we will develop our understanding of:
We have experience coordinating heritage and archaeological advice and can advise on the best process if this is a requirement for your project.
At this point our services could move into a master planning or feasibility direction, so if this is of interest we can discuss what this looks like for your project specifically. Typically, from this point a project will proceed to design concepts.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your project, please feel free to visit our Contact page.
The sketch design phase.
Once we have completed the process of understanding your site and project requirements, we draw on this knowledge to commence our conceptual design work. We apply all of our collective training, imagination, design knowledge and critical evaluation into the development of a design concept for your site specifically.
This process becomes collaborate via design meetings and reviews with you throughout the stage.
Drawings and diagrams are produced to represent the architectural principles being addressed, relationships among spaces (both internally and externally) and the beginnings of a plan layout – we primarily work in plan during this phase. While we consider the likely three-dimensional building forms and materiality (in order to reinforce the design moves being made in plan), this generally occurs in the background with detailed development of these aspects occurring in the design development stage.
The concept design work is then assessed against the initial project budget to allow decisions to be made in order to bring the brief and budget into alignment. Value management is most cost effective and efficient if completed during the design stages.
Other consultants (landscaping, interiors etc.) are coordinated into the design concept. This ensures broader design opportunities and compliance matters are being addressed, and that each consultant is contributing to the design outcome.
Staging and procurement strategies can also be considered in the context of project cost control and value management.
The outcome, through review, feedback and refinement, is a single preferred design solution to be developed in detail in the design development stage.
We look forward to showing you previous examples of how this process has informed design outcomes and what deliverables you can expect – Contact.
The approved design concept is further developed and refined, strengthening the response to your site, project brief, sustainability and broader project objectives.
A 3D computer generated model is produced to allow for a better understanding of the design. The model is used to make decisions on the overall form, the location and extent of glazing, interaction with the external environment, materials and finishes. We start to consider the overriding structural system and what opportunities are created to work with parts of the structure as an element of the overall aesthetic.
Further refinement of the project budget occurs throughout this stage.
Further coordination of other consultants occurs including thermal performance optimisations and detailed structural resolution. Interior design specifications are developed and coordinated. Building services are developed specific to the design, and in line with sustainability objectives.
If your project requires town planning approval, an application is made with Council once the 3D resolution of the design is agreed. Changing the design once we have a planning permit adds time and expense.
If an interior designer isn’t engaged for your project, we will consider internal aspects such as joinery layouts and finishes, fixtures fittings and equipment selections, detailed materials selection, selection of light fittings etc.
This information is recorded in a set of written schedules that are then incorporated into the construction documents. You are asked to participate actively in the selections/decisions to be made at this stage of the process. We will guide and support you in making the required selections.
We look forward to showing you previous examples of how this process has informed design outcomes and what deliverables you can expect – Contact.
The town planning stage includes consultation with Council and specialist consultants (as applicable) to prepare drawings and a written response to the planning provisions that apply to your project. These documents, and any supporting consultant documents, are submitted with the planning application.
The time required to assess an application varies depending on the planning matters to be addressed, Council’s resources and the various authority referrals required.
We actively try and minimise your exposure to neighbouring objections, however, this is sometimes offset by your project objectives.
Once your planning permit is in hand, we will turn our attention back to the detailed resolution of the interiors.
The objectives of this stage are to produce a set of technical drawings and supporting written specifications to allow your project to be tendered and a price agreed with a builder.
The method of construction is developed in this stage, with drawings reflecting the level of detail required to ensure the design intent and architectural details can be effectively communicated and understood by the contractors.
The documents are also used to obtain a building permit from a building surveyor.
The planning permit previously obtained does not constitute building approval. The technical drawings address the requirements of the Building Regulations, the National Construction Code (formally the BCA), Australian Standards and other industry codes and requirements.
Detailed requirements of other consultants are coordinated and incorporated into the tender documents.
We can guide you through the most appropriate method of procuring your project. Multiple builders are typically assessed for their suitability to tender for your project – we can recommend builders from a pool of builders we have worked with in the past, or we are always happy to meet new builders. Alternatively, we can assist in assessing the suitability of a nominated builder and negotiating a tender price to construct your project.
Upon receiving tenders, we will prepare a tender summary based on an assessment of the cost breakdown and make recommendations as to the preferred tenderer. We can facilitate negotiations with the successful builder to bring the cost of works into alignment with the adjusted project budget, to allow the project to be constructed.
The nominated procurement method influences our role in this phase and beyond. We are more than happy to discuss this process with you.
Depending on your needs and the method of project procurement, an architect can be engaged to administer the building contract. This service sees the architect employed to manage time, cost and design quality outcomes and act as an independent assessor and certifier of progress payments, extensions of time and other claims by the builder.
We will apply our expertise to further resolve construction details, contractor queries, requests for information on site, coordination of additional consultant input, managing communication between yourself and the builder, and assessing and certifying Builder’s claims related to time and cost. A complex role that we achieve regularly for our clients, which, gives us the ability to apply our experience and expertise in project delivery.
This role warrants further detailed discussion, so feel free to ask questions at any stage.
When your project nears completion, we continue our contract administration role to ensure practical completion has been achieved. We then manage the resolution of incomplete and defective work throughout a pre-defined defects period.
We prefer our clients to enjoy the process of creating and realising their project. The contract administration role allows the architect to work actively to support you to navigate a process that most clients are experiencing for the first (and sometimes only) time.
We can even offer post-occupancy services to assist you to ensure the desire building performance is realised.
We look forward to hearing from you – Contact.
Unfortunately, our website doesn’t support a browser which was last updated in 2013. If you want a modern house built, please consider using a modern web browser to get the best experience.