RIBA Work Stages.
Step 1.
Stage 0: Strategic Definition.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to extend your home? Maybe you are dreaming of a new home?
Why not contact us to book an appointment with our project team which will allow us to prepare youe project requirements and to also meet you.
We love meeting our clients, and understanding your briefs, our professional skills allow you to confidently appoint us for your project, as we listen carefully to our clients to ascertain their needs and budget and then set out to surpass your expectations.
Step 2.
Stage 0: Strategic Definition.
At our first appointment either online or on-site, we will undertake you through our bespoke Project Initiation from which underlines all the Royal Institute of British Architects requirements for your project.
Step 3.
Stage 0: Strategic Definition.
If you are happy with our fee proposal, we then put a Royal Institute of British Architects Contract between yourself and us in place to appoint us to undertake the work on your project.
We work on a number of projects, all at different scales, where we cover the RIBA Domestic, Concise and Strand Contract.
We will have discussed your contract as early as your first appointment with us, at Project Initiation Stage.
Step 4.
Stage 1: Preparation and Briefing.
Following our appointment of professional services we will arrange a site visit for a more detailed Project Brief Meeting, including:
Project Outcomes,
Project Programme/Timeframe,
Quality Aspirations,
Spatial Requirements,
Project Budget Source,
Project Design Team.
We will undertake a full measure site survey of your project, although if we have identified within our Project Initation Appointment that your site is complex, then within your quote we will have outlined to you that a topographical survey is needed.
Step 5.
Stage 2: Concept Design.
Firstly, we will begin to computer generate your existing floor plans, architectural sections, elevations.
From this we will begin to prepare your architectural concept design incorporating strategic engineering within your design. You may have come to us with a specific design, which we will draw out within this stage, however, depending on your project, your property type, and including any certain factors that may impact your project, we may present a number of sketch concepts should we identify a better design flare within your design brief, all in preparation for our concept design meeting.
Within all of our projects we allow up to 3 design revisions, and 3 studio meetings, where we discuss your design proposal and intentions at full length to ensure our professional services are aligning with your project brief.
Step 6.
Stage 2: Concept Design.
After our first concept design meeting, we allow our clients up to 2 weeks to allow you to go back home, digest the information and different ideas, discuss them further with friends, family, and understand the lifestyle your new home will create, and you fill our your first revision request of all the sketches you’ve been provided.
Within our project timeframe, we will have not allocated for your revision requests, as these vary from revision to revision, project to project, and property to property, therefore after we receive your revision requests, we will identify a timescale for the proposed revisions, and again invite you into your second concept design meeting.
Within the second and third design meeting, we will present the drawings, identify the revision requests, the potential design implications and should you have any revisions, which is normal, as at each meeting the scale of the revisions become smaller and smaller, as we are fine tuning your design proposal. Within both of these meetings, revisions are included as part of your accepted quote.
Step 7.
Stage 2: Concept Design.
Should you request any further meetings, or revisions after your third meeting, you will be charged as per our outlined disbursements charges.
Once you are happy with your design, even after one revision request or if you have used all of your revision requests, you will be required to sign off your drawings. At our first design meeting you will receive a paper sign off form, to sign off and approve your Concept Design drawings.
Step 8.
Stage 3: Developed Design.
This stage with the Royal Intitution has been renamed to ‘Spacial Design’ but within all of our designs we draw to 1:1 scale, and we will present to you design which will work as early as our first concept design meeting. Therefore we have adopted the 2019 RIBA Plan of Works, at this stage within our initial Project Initiation From we will have identified the additional reports which comply with the local authority requirements, which we will either prepare or organise, such as historical reports, conservation designs, a flood risk assessment, a design and assessment statement due to the site context or because of a certain scale. We will have identified these reports as early as Project Initiation stage to ensure you know full cost/implications of your project.
Step 9.
Planning Submission.
At this stage we prepare your approved developed design drawings for your planning application, where we use the planning portal to submit your planning application.
The application is then forwarded to the relevant planning authority and they will review all of the information that has been submitted. Once they are happy that they have received everything they need they send us a letter to validate the submission.
This is not the approval, it just means that the drawings we have produced have complied with the planning validation requirements, and they begin to process the application based on what has been submitted.
This can take up to 10 days.
Step 10.
Stage 4: Technical Design.
Once you have gained your positive planning decision, within your approved quote with we will begin to develop the architectural and engineering technical design in accordance with Building Regulations. We will prepare your approved drawings, that are specify relevant coordinationed information for your project.
Should you have chosen to appoint our third party structural engineer for your project to comply with Part A of Building Regulations, they will produce the structural calculations and we will incorporate these into our drawings, designs and specifications.
Once you are happy with your coordinated Technical Design drawings, you will be required to sign off your drawings in preparation to be submitted to our contractor/builders and approved by our approved building control inspector.
Step 11.
Stage 5: Manufacturing and Construction.
Once a contractor/builder has been appointed, and the construction timetable has been determined.
For our scope of services we can either manage the project on site for you, or sometimes, clients decide to work directly with the cotractor/builder to design the detail at this stage. Either way we allocate up to three on-site meetings with our clients, to ensure we develop a long-lasting relationship with our clients, even when we have not been appointed to project mange your construction project.
Any building project is stressful and complicated, and our advice would be to appoint us to support you throughout the whole construction programme, this way we can work with the approved site inspector, contractors and yourselves to achieve your overall vision.
Our core tasks, should we be appointed would be:
Carry out Construction Phase Plan
Finalise Site Logistics
Manufacture Building Systems and Construct Building
Monitor progress against Construction Programme
Inspect Construction Quality
Resolve Site Queries as required
Undertake Commissioning of Building Prepare Building Manual
Building Manual including Health and Safety File, and Fire Safety Information
Practical Completion Certificate
Defects List Asset Information
Step 12.
Stage 6&7: Handover and Close Out / In Use.
At this stage your project is complete!
This is where we firstly Congratulate you on your project!
We will arrange an initial home appointment with you, and we will also arrange a follow up appointment between 6 months to 1 year all depending on your timeframe to see how you’re settling in!