An independent written appraisal of your plot, commissioned before any design begins. We evaluate the site against the governing bye-laws: ground coverage, FAR, setbacks, height, permissible use and then set the legal envelope against your budget. You receive the constraints and realistic scope in writing before committing to drawings.

We begin with the brief. What the building has to do, who will use it and how, the constraints of the site, and the references you bring to the table – followed by a clear account of what the regulations permit and where we would advise a different approach. We develop more than one option and set out the reasoning behind each, so the decision is informed rather than presented. Orientation, daylight and ventilation are settled at the concept stage, not resolved afterwards.

Complete sanction drawing sets and authority liaison through to approval, prepared to the requirements of the development authority governing the site. Compliance is built into the design from the start rather than retrofitted at submission.

The set a contractor builds from: dimensioned plans, sections and details, coordinated with the structural and services consultants and issued as one complete set. Quantities are measured from the drawings into a cost plan, and into tender documentation where the project is put out to bid. The estimate and the drawings never disagree.

Interior space planning, lighting, acoustics, material selection and the integration of building services, from layout down to joinery detail, including custom furniture and fitted woodwork detailed by us and made by our own carpentry team, for both new and existing buildings.

Oversight during construction: periodic site inspection, stage-wise quality checks, approval of samples and materials, and clarification of drawings as questions arise on site. The level of involvement is set in the engagement, from periodic review to close stage-wise supervision.