Strategic Consultancy
We can provide you and your team qualified, confidential advice as well as a comprehensive brief before any design work starts. Talk to us before you start any project – we can save you some costly mistakes.
What is a strategic brief and who creates it?
A strategic brief is a document that outlines your vision and priorities. We will work with you to stress test the assumptions you have made in your business plan and will look at your strategy and make critical recommendations before you start your project. We help with early stage feasibility and give impartial and informed advice. We might not be the designer ultimately responsible for your scheme.
What problems you might have?
You will most likely have clarity about your project’s outcomes, but you will depend upon your adviser for advice on design, construction, budgets and sporting requirements. You have to trust us that we will give you the right information and lead your project in the right direction.
You will need accurate information when it comes to making decisions regarding the viability of your project. You might have a very good understanding of your project from a business or strategic angle, but it is critical to make sure that your vision is possible and meets your budget.
The briefing and pre-design phases are critical as they provide absolute clarity about outcomes. This will minimise the impact of future design changes on scope, specifications, time and budget during project development.
What problems you might have?
- You most likely operate your business, school, university, or club from a campus or from an estate comprising a number of buildings.
- You need to think about the big picture, infrastructure (roads, parking, energy systems), landscape, and buildings.
- You may need high-level strategic advice to determine what is feasible.
- You are ambitious for your business, school, or club but also aware you need to consider the risks of any future development.
- You believe that discussing possible and preferred futures with tactics, strategy, and vision can lead to positive change which would be of great value to your organisation.
- You may want to create a plan to demonstrate how and when your organisation will adapt to meet your sustainability goals and changes to statutory regulations.
- You may want to capture lessons from past projects to ensure your next project runs smoothly.
- You may need an advocate for the project at board level and someone who can communicate effectively with community groups.
- You will most likely need someone who can clearly articulate the benefits of the project.
- You may be looking for a better relationship between your buildings and nature.
What are the benefits of developing the Strategic Brief before you engage a design team?
We help you maintain control over issues affecting quality, values, sustainability, and building lifecycle by:
- Developing an accurate brief for your project
- Scenario planning future visions for your club, school, or city
- Advising on failed or difficult planning applications
- Understanding your business objectives and values
- Advising on new technology, including Building Information Modelling (BIM), and how this technology can benefit maintaining your assets in the future
- Managing the design of your project
- Managing and analysing potential risks
- Recognising and taking advantage of opportunities
- Improving communication
- Developing a future strategy for maintenance, cleaning, and replacement of damaged components
- Developing a strategy for future adaptation of your facility
- Advising on which consultants you may require and assisting the procurement of your design team
- Advising on the construction delivery
Prevention of problems and a robust value proposition
- The most value comes early in the briefing process.
- You should concentrate design thinking at the beginning of your project, distilling and communicating your ideas and vision.
- This vision must then be the basis for your project’s business case.
- Your Value Proposition is a statement of desired outcomes based on the needs and desires of you and your customers.
- The Value Proposition will include the financial value of your project, and other less tangible dimensions.
- Social, economic, and environmental values include better thermal performance, wellbeing, productivity, employment opportunities, how your project will help connect communities, and how all ages and groups will be able to access and benefit from the project.
- These less tangible dimensions will be crucial to articulate clearly in order to gain planning permission for your project.
What could happen if you don’t work with us
- You may end up with a rejected planning application
- Critical parts of the brief are missed, such as equipment you need installed in the building
- Your budget may be unrealistic
- You might build in the wrong place which prevents future projects
- You end up working with the wrong builders who don’t have the information they need to construct the building, causing delays and extra costs
- You may not end up with a valuable digital asset to help with facilities maintenance
- You may not be ready for future changes which may impact your business
- Your building may not be easily adapted in the future
Our Methodology
Workshops
- We will run workshops with your senior management team and identify the weaknesses and the opportunities for improvement.
- We will interview you and your key team to discuss your vision for the future.
- We will identify what data you need to assist with decision-making.
- We will identify what technology you will need to help you effectively manage your assets in the future.
- We will discover the purpose of your project, who is going to use it, and why.
Storyboard
- We will create a storyboard looking at possible and preferred futures and identifying trends, and known and unknown factors that may impact your operation.
Test Fits
- We will create a block diagram of test fits to test what the possibilities are on your site and explain the key objectives.
Written Report
We will produce a written document that:
- Details your vision and priorities for the project.
- Identifies possible ways to maximise the value of your site.
- Helps to define and deliver the best long-term solution for your project.
- We identify which consultants you should work with.
- We work with a project manager to advise on procurement.
Key principles to help ovecome the obstacles you may face
Simplicity: Through many design iterations we reduce complexity to simplicity so the masterplan or building diagram accurately represents your vision and what you need.
Precision: Precision comes from accurate design documents.
Efficiency: Everything your consultants and contractors do should be designed to minimise disruption to your business or home and ensure your project runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Collaboration: We are specialists in gaining planning permission in London and will give you peace of mind by building a great team that works closely with the local authorities, guiding your project through the application process.
Sustainability: One of our main aims is to ensure your design team develops a design that reduces your energy bills which will also result in your project having less impact on the planet.
Discuss your next project with us
Are you looking for an experienced, trustworthy and certified architect based in central London? Whatever your project, don’t hesitate to reach out to Graham Ford and his team to arrange an informal, confidential chat.