Design
Design is the key decision-making process within the built environment; strategically it creates the vision for projects and places, and in detail it describes how we want them to look, work and feel.
Design quality is critical to all projects, from a simple refurbishment to a large new building. Good design maximises the opportunities presented by a project. Good design creates value; economic and social. Good design creates places to treasure. Bad design risks creating dysfunctional buildings that lack character and that struggle to last the test of time.
The starting point of good design is the Development Brief. The client is critical to creating the project vision and the environment in which good design can flourish. In setting the agenda for the project, or the Development Brief, it is important to set down clear objectives. If possible these objectives should avoid issues of taste and style, and concentrate on three important principles: robustness (durability, quality of detail), usefulness (efficiency, functional quality) and beauty (ability to delight, character, sense of place). These principles, attributed to Vitruvius, have under-pinned good design in the built environment for centuries. The appropriate level of quality should be defined for the project, particularly in relation to Time and Budget constraints.
The careful selection of the design team is a key part of ensuring the project achieves the right level of quality. Professional Organisations such as RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects, RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute), along with the local Chamber of Commerce, Civic Trust or Planning Department can help compile a short-list of suitable design professionals. It is common for Clients to hold an interview process in order to select their team, due to the importance of a strong working between Client and Design Team.
Design quality and sustainability have increasingly moved up the Government’s agenda, in terms of Planning Policy, Building Regulations, and through their ‘design watchdog’ CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment),so the design team need to demonstrate experience and knowledge of the regulations, along with a proven ability for quality. Design Awards, Project Case studies and visits to completed buildings are a good way to judge this quality.
Once the team has been selected, and the design process is underway, don’t be afraid to ask questions, or to challenge the team and process. Regular Design Team Meetings are the forum in which to do this. The Client needs to have confidence that the design meets the Development Brief, is functional, built to last ‚ and easy to maintain.
- Can everyone find their way to and move around the design easily?
- Does the design relate well to the context (whether fitting in quietly or creating a landmark)?
- Is it flexible and adaptable over time?
- Is it environmentally efficient and will it encourage users to live and work sustainably?
- Will the building create Civic pride because the building or place has real identity, character and beauty?
- Does it meet the budget, and have the costs of maintaining elements of the building over its lifetime influenced the design and specification?
- Has it considered Health and Safety risks from an early stage
The answers to the above questions should all be ‘yes’.
The time to ask questions is at the beginning of the design process. The design is in an embryonic stage and can respond more readily to criticism and changes to the Brief. The further the design gets in terms of detail, the more costly it is to change things, both in terms of time spent to deal with all the repercussions, and in real terms; consultants and Contractors will charge for the additional time and expense. The cost of change also highlights the importance of obtaining strong cost advice from an early stage, either from a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, or a proactive builder. Early testing of the design can be very influential on its development, and could even cause changes to the Brief.
Life cycle costing should also be considered early. This measures the cost of an element over the lifetime of the building; from purchase cost, likely cost of maintenance / replacement, and even cost of disposal. The institutional standard for building lifetime is 60 years. A selected material may be 50% of the price of a ‘high quality’ alternative, but if it needs to be replaced every 15 years will end up costing more than twice the cost over the building’s lifetime. The investment cost, and Project Budget, should also be reviewed against potential value.
High quality design does not need to create additional cost to a project, but does need to create additional value. Value is a wide-ranging subject, and can be defined and measured in many ways. Development value can be generated by efficient space-planning that optimises usable/rentable space, and through the quality of space which attracts long term Tenants that are willing to pay more for a better working environment. The value to Tenants / Building Occupiers is measured in terms of higher levels of staff productivity and retention. Social value can be measured by the number of start-up businesses created, new employment opportunities, and regeneration effect on wider community.
The design process is enjoyable, and when managed correctly, can be extremely rewarding for all concerned.
Good design is not inevitable – it is reliant on the levels of understanding, commitment, skill and ingenuity of the Client and their design team. The careful selection of the design team is a key part of ensuring the project is the right quality, so avoid being too hasty in the selection process.
Don’t get too wrapped up in the subjective: stylistic concerns or issues of personal taste. Avoid being too wishy-washy with the Brief; if you have a strong vision for the project it needs to be defined in a structured (quantitative and qualitative) way. One option for providing structure to the process is the Design Quality Indicator (DQI) initiative, developed by the Construction Industry Council. As simpler model has been developed by CABE, in the form of the Design Quality Analyser.
Don’t lose sight of the original Vision (as outlined in the Project Brief), or the project’s budget. Good design doesn’t need to cost more, but development (whether good or bad) is an expensive process, and poor budget control could end up costing time and money that you can ill afford.
Avoid forgetting about Design Risk; it should not be over-looked. Design risk can range from the creation of a stunning (but controversial) building form that meets the vision but fails to get Planning and costs double the budget, to the specification of an experimental material that looks fantastic in the brochure but has not been tested sufficiently. Managing design risk involves identification at an early stage, and effective control using a Design Risk Register that relates to the Programme.
Avoid unnecessary complexity; quality of design invariably boils down to simple factors of form (ratio of room dimensions and height for example), use and control of light, and level of comfort.
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): http://www.architecture.com/
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI): http://www.rtpi.org.uk/
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE): http://www.cabe.org.uk/
Design Quality Indicator (DQI): http://www.dqi.org.uk/
Design Quality analyser: http://www.whichplaceswork.org.uk/