Design Management

RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Guide

Dale Sinclair

• Publisher: RIBA Publishing
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000701722
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Guide: Design Management is part of a brand new series providing must-read practical guidance to running efficient and successful projects using the new RIBA Plan of Work 2013. Each guide takes a core project task – in this case the role of the Design Lead - and explains the essential activities and considerations required at each stage of the new Plan of Work.

Easy to use and navigate and in a small and handy format these guides will provide the ultimate quick reference support at your desk or on site. The author provides concise and pragmatic advice rooted in real world experience – a 'how to' that will resonate with practitioners. In-text features such as 'hints and tips', 'checklists', 'forms and templates' and 'signposts' to trusted resources will provide user-friendly support. Boxed examples will highlight best practice and illuminate common problems and solutions borne of hard won experience.

Stage 1
Preparation and Brief

Chapter overview

This chapter explains why Stage 1 is such a crucial project stage, particularly in relation to the work of the lead designer at Stage 2, when the design process begins in earnest. It considers the importance of the Initial Project Brief from the lead designer’s perspective and what subjects require particular attention in terms of design management. During Stage 1 the project lead will assemble the project team. This will require preparation of core documents such as the Design Responsibility Matrix. The lead designer must check such documents rigorously as they fundamentally frame what is required at Stage 2 and, more importantly, establish what the other design team members have been appointed to do.

The key coverage in this chapter is as follows:

What are the Core Objectives of Stage 1?

What procurement activities are necessary at Stage 1?

Why is the Project Programme crucial at Stage 1?

How might town planning influence Stage 1?

What supporting tasks should be undertaken during Stage 1?

Why are Sustainability Checkpoints important?

What are the Stage 1 Information Exchanges?

Introduction

With Stage 0 having set the strategic framework for a project in the Strategic Brief and Project Programme, Stage 1 can begin in earnest, layering detail onto these documents. Stage 1 of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 is a crucial project stage. Some might question this as no design or construction-related activity takes place, but the premise behind this stage is simple: if the Initial Project Brief is robust and comprehensively considered, and the project team has been assembled in a manner where each party knows what they have to do, when they have to do it and how they will do it, then Stage 2, and the subsequent stages, will be more efficient and effective.

This chapter considers why Stage 1 is of particular importance to the lead designer and the items that might be considered in relation to this subject. Assembling a Collaborative Project Team advocates the appointment of the design team by the end of Stage 1, ready for commencement of Stage 2. A major conundrum from the lead designer’s perspective is that many of the core documents used while they are undertaking their design management duties, such as the Project Execution Plan, Design Responsibility Matrix and Information Exchanges, may have been generated, determined or influenced by others prior to their own involvement.

Certainly, where one party (likely to be the project lead at Stage 1) has developed the Design Responsibility Matrix and other core design-related documents for the design team, the lead designer should stringently check these documents prior to concluding their own professional services contract. This review would consider and include all of the design team members’ professional services contracts, allowing the lead designer to be satisfied that each design team member is appointed in a manner that will deliver the right information at the right time.

A review should be undertaken regardless of who will appoint the design team members (the client, the contractor or the lead designer) because each design team member’s Information Exchanges impact on the lead designer’s ability to carry out their duties to coordinate at Stage 3 and integrate at Stage 4. The lead designer is increasingly responsible for appointing the design team. In these situations they will be responsible for all design aspects and their professional services contract will not need to contain the same granularity in relation to design responsibility. The lead designer will, however, need to ensure that each design team member’s professional services contract (possibly a subcontract) specifies the individual degree of design responsibility precisely. Such documents may be derived from templates or may have been generated by the lead designer and fine-tuned over a number of projects.

There are currently initiatives encouraging standard industry deliverables documents. Such initiatives are welcome and would make the preparation by the project lead and the checking by the lead designer more straightforward and the transition to Stage 2 easier.

What are the Core Objectives of this stage?

The Core Objectives of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 at Stage 1 are:

The Core Objectives at Stage 1 revolve around the preparation of the Initial Project Brief. As set out in the RIBA Plan of Work 2013, in order to prepare the brief the Project Objectives, including the Quality Objectives and Project Outcomes, Sustainability Aspirations, Project Budget and other parameters or constraints must be developed in order to put more flesh onto the bones of the Strategic Brief produced during Stage 0. The specific purpose of each of these defined terms, from the lead designer’s perspective, is considered below.

Although a site may have been appraised and selected at Stage 0, Feasibility Studies may also be required during Stage 1 to test certain aspects of the developing brief against the chosen site. Good quality Site Information will assist the preparation of any such studies, but more importantly this information will be a core requirement for Stage 2, along with a robust Project Budget. These points are considered further below.

What are the Project Objectives?

Once the Strategic Brief has been signed off by the client, Stage 1 and the preparation of the Initial Project Brief can begin in earnest. The Strategic Brief should contain sufficient information on the Project Objectives. During Stage 1 the brief is further developed to consider the detail that will support these objectives. Two core aspects to be considered are the Quality Objectives and the Project Outcomes:

• Quality Objectives
  Quality Objectives relate primarily to design quality and can cover a diverse range of subjects, such as finishes, products, or the quality of core spaces. When setting Quality Objectives, it is extremely helpful to visit exemplar projects with the client. This allows likes and dislikes to be determined, minimising the risk of the design team taking an approach that will not be supported by the client. In some instances an architect will be chosen because the client has seen and liked previous projects that they have undertaken. In these situations it may be less necessary to set Quality Objectives.
• Project Outcomes
  Project Outcomes are a crucial new inclusion in the RIBA Plan of Work 2013. While the Quality Objectives might focus on the building as an output, the Project Outcomes will consider the business or other In Use outcomes that the client may wish to achieve. Examples might include:
  • reduced reoffending rates for a new prison
  • improved examination results for a new school
  • shorter recovery times for a new hospital.

On receiving the Initial Project Brief the lead designer should not focus on how the client’s desired Project Outcomes will be achieved, but on how the design team might be able to address and respond to each stated outcome at each stage. In the future, certain Project Outcomes will become more contractual in their nature; for example, the Building Contract could set a cap on the energy use of a building. How to measure the design at each project stage against the set Project Outcomes is a core consideration for the lead designer, as well as for the project lead, who may need to carry out the measurement.

Why are the Sustainability Aspirations a crucial consideration within the brief?

For a robust Concept Design to be delivered at the end of Stage 2 the design process must be undertaken in a holistic manner. As the Sustainability Aspirations of different clients may vary it is essential that these are considered at Stage 1 and integrated successfully into the Initial Project Brief. The Sustainability Aspirations would cover items such as:

• assessments to be undertaken and rating achieved (eg BREEAM Outstanding)
• energy targets including embodied energy and carbon
• the extent of community involvement and consultation.

Sustainability can heavily influence the design process, and so upon receipt of the Initial Project Brief the lead designer needs to consider how the design team might respond to the Sustainability Aspirations. Are they clear and unambiguous? Are they sufficiently well framed to be interpreted correctly by the design team? The aspirations also need to be reviewed against other Stage 1 information. For example, are there any contradictory statements in the Initial Project Brief and is the Project Budget sufficient to deliver the specific project Sustainability Aspirations?

What is the Project Budget and how might it influence the brief?

The Proje...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Series editor’s foreword
• Acknowledgements and dedication
• About the author and series editor
• Introduction
• The RIBA Plan of Work 2013
• Stage 0 Strategic Definition
• Stage 1 Preparation and Brief
• Stage 2 Concept Design
• Stage 3 Developed Design
• Stage 4 Technical Design
• Stage 5 Construction
• Stage 6 Handover and Close Out
• Stage 7 In Use
• Design management glossary
• RIBA Plan of Work 2013 glossary
• Index