RIBA Stage 1: Briefing

Project Stages 1 to 4 will genrally be undertaken one after another.

Stages 4 and 5 will overlap in the project programme for most projects.

Stage 5 commences when the contractor takes possession of the site and finishes with Practical Completion.

Stage: 6 starts with the handover of the building to the client and immediately after Practical completion and dinishes at the end of the Defects liability period.

Stage 7: In Use lasts for the life of the building.

This stage involved :

• Preparing or agreeing the Project Brief
• Undertaking Feasability Studies
• Agree the Project Budget
• Carry Out Building Survey
• Source/Arrange Site Survey
• Carry out a Site Appraisal
• Assess and research functional needs
• Carry Out Accessibility audit
• Look at enviromental considerations
• Look at Statutory constraints
• Source/Arrange/Procure Utilities data/ maps
• Prepare the Project Execution Plan
• Agree Scope of Services
• Agree Design Responsibilities matrix
• Initiate collation of Pre-Construction Info
• Source Site Constraints / Pre app Planning Advice
• Agree Technology /Equipment to be incorporated
• Agree Quality Requirements for Design and Materials, Construction and Maintenance
• Agree Programme inc Phasing
• Finalise the Fee Proposal and Update where necessary
• Issue Appointment Documents for Signature.

There are a lot of information portals that the Architect and Consultant team will need to access to put together the initial inforamtion to agree the project brief and get the initila design stages of the project off the ground. Some of these pieces of information will have dispersment costs attached, such as services maps, historic maps, OS plans, Topographical surveys, invetigation reports.

Reviewing the Site Contraints is an important factor in the initial stages of a project as the more constraints a site has the more this will affect the input from Specialist and Consultant Team members and the surveys and reports required.

There will be some constraints that need to be overcome as part of the design.

For larger porjects the Design Team will need to agree a Matrix of Design responsibilities which sets out which members of the team are responsible for Leading specific design elements and whcih members will be contributing to or commenting on these elements.

It is the responsibility of the Client to provide the design team withe all the information they have about the site, buildings, services and operation.

Where required informaiton is not available, Design Team mebers will need to source, survey and procure any information available.