PM Architecture

Analyse a site before designing on it — what is physically there, what the law and the neighbours allow, and which constraints will actually shape the building. Use when asked to carry out a site analysis, site appraisal, feasibility study for a plot, or to assess whether a site can take a proposed development. Produces the physical survey summary, the constraints and opportunities map, the statutory and legal position, the developable-capacity estimate, and the risks that need resolving before design starts.

Answer a construction request for information so the site can act on it — a direct answer, the drawing or specification reference that supports it, and an explicit statement of whether it changes cost or programme. Use when asked to respond to an RFI, answer a contractor query, or handle a request for information on site, or when RFIs keep coming back for clarification. Produces the answer with its reference, the cost and time implication stated, the instruction status, the distribution list, and the register entry.

Write a specification section that a contractor can price accurately and a site can build from — performance stated, products defined, workmanship and tolerances given, and the coordination with the drawings made explicit. Use when asked to write a specification, spec a material or system, prepare an NBS-style section, or when a specification produced wildly different tender prices. Produces the scope and interface definition, the performance requirements, the product or system definition, execution and tolerance requirements, and the submittals and testing schedule.

Turn a client's wishes into an architectural brief that can actually be designed against — the accommodation schedule, the adjacencies, the budget reality, and the constraints named before they become change orders. Use when asked to write an architectural brief, prepare a project brief for a building, run a client briefing, or capture requirements for a new build or refurbishment. Produces the accommodation schedule with areas, the adjacency and circulation requirements, the site and statutory constraints, the budget and programme reality check, and the explicit exclusions.

Write the design and access statement that supports a planning application — the site analysis, the design rationale, the policy compliance, and the answers to the objections the case officer will receive. Use when asked to write a design and access statement, planning statement, or supporting statement for a planning application, or to respond to a planning objection or refusal. Produces the site and context analysis, the design evolution narrative, the policy-by-policy compliance table, the access and amenity assessment, and the pre-empted objections. Not planning or legal advice; local policy and procedure govern.

Present a design to a client so they can make a decision rather than react to a picture — the brief restated, the moves explained against it, the options with their trade-offs, and a specific decision requested. Use when asked to present a design to a client, prepare a design review meeting, present concept options, or when a client keeps changing their mind after sign-off. Produces the presentation structure, the brief-to-design traceability, the options with honest trade-offs, the cost and programme position, and the decision record that makes sign-off stick.