How to Write a Brief for an Architect
Download our free ebook How to write a Brief for an Architect
For many years, Day Architects has helped clients with how to write an architectural brief that identifies exactly what they need and what they want to achieve in their new build or renovation.
A good architect brief helps to move everything out of your head and onto paper, setting out what you want to achieve, how you live, what the home needs to do, your priorities and your budget.
We find that clients who have established their brief the right way at the beginning of their project generally have a much easier path through the design and construction stages, as they have established and described their core values, mission, budget and goals for their particular build.
It makes decision-making easier, reduces changes and cost variations, and enables you to feel that your goals and VALUES are being looked after by your Architect.
What should an architectural brief include?
It is good to get in tune with your requirements for your new home and record them for your Architect. Who will live in the home? How do you use the spaces now, and what might change in the future? Consider the rooms and functions you need, how you want them to relate to each other, your budget, and any expectations around materials, sustainability or the way the finished home should feel.
Once you’ve gathered those requirements, the next step in writing your architectural design brief is to look at your list (together!), consolidate your ideas, and take a step backwards – yes that’s right – get out your highlighter and decide which are the top TWO key principles that are the highest priority.
In our experience, the most successful home build projects revolve not around lengthy lists of what needs to go into a house but on shared core values.
The process of going through a design stage with your architect, editing out needs/wishes/wants in comparison to budget, going through the construction stage with builder and architect and making decisions on site for tricky renovations – is made infinitely easier when your motivation for the build is guided by choosing, at most, two core principles that are important to you.
We have seen time after time that the most successful results are when the family has nailed down these values as a firm anchor through the project.
These principles can be different for various families – they may involve the feel of the property or its function, from lifestyle and sustainability to health and family wellbeing.
An example of families combining two top core principles has been:
- “A sustainable home for the right budget”
- “Legacy architecture that enables a luxury lifestyle”
- “A calm home with a focus on beautiful light & texture”
- “Authentic renovation with the family table at the heart”
- “An accessible and contemporary home”
- "Aw heck, I just need more room .... and quickly!"
You can see how different the results would be just by those key formative statements! This is where an architectural client brief becomes particularly useful, it gives your architect something more meaningful to work from than a list of rooms and finishes.
How a clear brief helps the design process
The reason we say that it is a good idea to narrow it down to two ‘headline’ ideals to use as anchors is that for some people, there is an overwhelming number of choices or competing ideals when it comes to building a home.
These core principles act as testing grounds against which you can prioritise your wish list.
When your architect comes to you with a variety of design options, a clear architecture design brief makes it easier for you to identify solutions that are relevant to your life, your home and your budget.
When you communicate these core values to your architect and builder, they know what to do and what to prioritise. There are ‘design and construction’ ingredients that go into buildings that can give you maximum area for minimum price, and they are very different from the ‘design’ ingredients that give you maximum quality or a legacy building that will last generations…. even when given the same budget to work with.
Some people come to this intuitively; for others, it can be a more difficult process. We can often help, as it becomes very clear to us as we work alongside families through the design phase.
You can read more about how Day Architects approaches the design process on our Approach page.
Working collaboratively with your architect
As Architects, we can of course simply talk with you and 'reverse brief' your words back to you, that is standard practice and something we of course offer, but for some projects and families it is really helpful (and important) to have put their own stamp on the project.
Your architectural design brief is a starting point, rather than a set of instructions for what the finished house has to look like. The architect’s role is to understand the priorities behind it, consider the opportunities and constraints of your site, and develop a design that responds to both.
Our Spaces and Projects show how that process can lead to very different outcomes for different clients and sites. If you have questions about working with an architect, you can also visit our FAQs.
Download the architectural brief template
If you’re ready to start putting your own architect brief together, our free How to Write a Brief for an Architect ebook includes an architect brief template and an editable PDF that you can work through in your own time.
It takes you through your vision, priorities, functional requirements, budget and design expectations, with space to record your thoughts as you go.
Ready to discuss your new home or renovation? Contact Day Architects to talk through your project.
Architectural Brief FAQs
What should be included in a brief for an architect?
An architectural brief should explain what you want the project to achieve, how you live, your practical requirements, budget, priorities and any long-term needs. It should also identify the core values you want to guide decisions throughout the project.
When should you prepare an architectural brief?
Ideally, start thinking about your brief before the design process begins. You don’t need to have every answer, but establishing your main goals and priorities early gives you and your architect a useful starting point.
Can an architect help develop or refine the brief?
Yes. Your architect brief doesn’t need to arrive fully resolved. An architect can talk through your ideas, help identify what matters most and refine the brief with you as the project develops.
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