The project brief (sometimes known as the 'technical brief', or 'final written brief', or rather confusingly, 'initial project

brief' and 'final project brief') is part of an ongoing process of defining the client's requirements that includes: Statement of need : a first attempt to describe the possible requirements of the project. Strategic brief: describing the client's requirements in sufficient detail to allow the appointment of consultants. It is then developed with the benefit of comments made by the consultants. Project brief: the key document upon which the design will be based. NB See ' briefing documents' for a fuller description of the different terminology that can be used to describe briefing documents. The project brief is the key document upon which the design will develop. The project brief will evolve through the project brief stage and the concept design stage with the benefit of information gained from consultations with the client and other stakeholders and ongoing design development. Preparation of the project brief is likely to co-ordinated by the lead consultant . It may be developed based upon: Existing information such as the business case, the statement of need and the strategic brief. Site surveys , site information and site appraisals. Workshops with champions and user panels to establish needs, expectations and priorities. Input from other stakeholders . A wider consultation process. Interviews. User surveys. Input from statutory authorities such as the fire brigade, statutory utilities, local authority, heritage organisations and so on. The project brief may include: A description of the client : 1. A description of the client's brand, culture and organisation. 2. A description of the client's vision, mission and objectives. 3. A description of the client's priorities and the criteria that will be used to measure success. 4. Changes to the client that the project will bring about. 5. Interfaces with other projects. 6. Client policies that may be applicable to the project (for example; transport policy, energy policy, natural ventilation policy, sustainability policy). 7. Client preferences for the project (for example; image, use of local materials, use of landscape etc) and quality expectations (including health and safety , sustainability and design quality ). 8. A description of the principles that will be adopted in the development of the design. Spatial requirements: 1. Schedules of accommodation, areas and special requirements. 2. Schedules of users (including external users), their numbers, departments, functions, organisational structure and operational characteristics. 3. Spatial policies (for example open plan or cellular offices, daylighting requirements, temperature ranges and acoustic standards). 4. Required adjacencies, groupings and separations. 5. Zoning. 6. Circulation guidelines and identification of major circulation flows.

7. Phasing. Technical requirements: 1. Structural strategy (columns and gridlines to be adopted, special loads, floor to ceiling heights). 2. Servicing requirements, including specialist requirements. 3. Heating ventilation and air conditioning requirements (HVAC). 4. Comfort conditions and level of user control. 5. Acoustic requirements. 6. Equipment requirements. 7. Specialist requirements for finishes, fixtures and fittings. 8. Information and communications technology (ICT) requirements. 9. Requirements for specialist processes and plant. 10. Fire compartments. 11. Maintenance and cleaning requirements. 12. Likelihood of future change (for example staff numbers) and flexibility required. 13. Sustainability objectives and energy use targets. 14. Safety and security requirements. 15. Resilience to potential hazards or threats. 16. Waste and water management. 17. Pollution control. 18. Flexibility and future uses. 19. Durability and lifespan. Component requirements: 1. Coding of repeated components. 2. Long-lead items. 3. Potential requirement for specialist design or specialist contractors design. 4. Cladding strategy and materials selection procedures. Project requirements and other issues: 1. Planning requirements. 2. Outcome of any consultation processes. 3. Budget . 4. Programme and key milestones. 5. Known risks . The project brief will become increasingly detailed throughout the project brief and concept design stages, and may ultimately include very specific information such a room data sheets for each room. The project brief should be frozen at the end of the concept design stage and change control procedures introduced to prevent further changes without appropriate justification and authorisation. For a description of the sequence of activities necessary to develop a project brief see the Designing Buildings Wiki free work plans .