# Architectural Programme Brief > 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. - Skill: `mohitagw15856/architectural-programme-brief` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add mohitagw15856/architectural-programme-brief` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mohitagw15856/architectural-programme-brief/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Finance & Business - Author: Mohit Aggarwal (https://skillmd.com/u/mohitagw15856) - Updated: 2026-09-07 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mohitagw15856/architectural-programme-brief --- # Architectural Programme Brief Clients brief in rooms and adjectives; buildings are designed from areas, adjacencies and constraints. The gap between the two is where scope creep lives. This converts the conversation into a schedule you can design against, tests the budget against the areas before anyone draws anything, and writes down what the project is not — the single most valuable page in any brief. ## What This Skill Produces - **An accommodation schedule** — every space with its area, occupancy, and the activity it must support - **Adjacency and circulation requirements** — what must be near what, what must never be, and the routes between - **Site and statutory constraints** — planning context, access, orientation, services, and known designations - **Performance requirements** — servicing, acoustics, daylight, accessibility, and environmental targets, stated as requirements rather than aspirations - **The budget and programme reality check** — the area total against the budget at a realistic rate, before design begins - **Explicit exclusions** — what this project is not doing, agreed and written down ## Required Inputs Ask for these if not provided: - **The client and the driver** — who they are, and what problem the building is supposed to solve - **The activities** — what will actually happen in the building, by whom, and when - **The site** — location, area, existing structures, access, orientation, and any known designations or constraints - **The budget and programme** — the number they have and the date they need it, however soft - **The fixed points** — anything already decided, promised, or non-negotiable ## Framework: Activities Before Rooms, Areas Before Budget 1. **Brief the activity, not the room.** 'A place for forty people to eat that empties in twenty minutes' designs better than 'a canteen'. Rooms are a solution; activities are the requirement. 2. **Put an area against everything.** An unpriced schedule is a wish list. Areas are what make the budget conversation possible. 3. **Test the budget early and bluntly.** Total area at a realistic rate per square metre, against the stated budget. If it does not work, say so in the brief rather than discovering it at tender. 4. **Map adjacencies as a matrix.** Must-be-near, must-not-be-near, and the routes people take between them. This is where the plan actually comes from. 5. **Name constraints before they become surprises.** Planning context, rights of light, access, ground conditions, services capacity, listed status. 6. **Write the exclusions down and get them agreed.** The scope you did not include is only excluded if it is on paper. ## Deeper Material - **[`references/worked-example.md`](references/worked-example.md)** — a community hall whose budget is £461k short of its own accommodation schedule, found before anyone drew a line. Read it when the shape of a good output is unclear, or to calibrate how specific the entries should be. ## Output Format ### Project brief: [project] · [client] · [date] · rev [n] **Project driver:** [the problem the building solves, in one paragraph] **Accommodation schedule** | Space | Activity supported | Area (m²) | Occupancy | Key requirements | |---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | **Net area:** [x] m² · **Gross (at [n]% circulation/plant):** [y] m² **Adjacencies:** must be adjacent [pairs] · must be separated [pairs] · key routes [list] **Site & statutory:** [location, area, access, orientation, existing structures, designations, planning context, known constraints] **Performance:** accessibility [standard] · environmental target [standard/rating] · acoustics [where it matters] · daylight [requirement] · servicing strategy [outline] **Budget check:** [y] m² × [rate]/m² = **[construction cost estimate]** vs stated budget **[amount]** → [aligned / gap of [amount]] **If there is a gap:** [the options — reduce area, change specification, phase, or increase budget] **Programme:** [key dates, and whether they are achievable against a realistic consent and construction period] **Explicitly excluded:** [what this project does not include — agreed with client on [date]] **Assumptions:** [what has been assumed pending information, and what would change if wrong] ## Quality Checks - [ ] Every space is justified by an activity, not just named - [ ] Areas are stated and totalled, gross as well as net - [ ] The budget is tested against the area before design begins - [ ] Adjacencies are recorded as requirements, not left to the plan - [ ] Statutory and site constraints are named rather than assumed away - [ ] Exclusions are written down and agreed - [ ] Assumptions are flagged with what changes if they turn out wrong ## Anti-Patterns - **Briefing in room names.** Locks in a solution before the requirement is understood. - **A schedule with no areas.** Guarantees the budget conversation happens after the design. - **Deferring the budget test.** The gap does not shrink by being discovered later; it just costs more to fix. - **Aspirations written as requirements.** 'Sustainable' is not a requirement; a target rating is. - **No exclusions page.** Every undocumented exclusion becomes a variation. - **Accepting a programme without testing it.** Consent periods are not negotiable by optimism. ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Write an architectural brief for a new community building" - "Help me capture what the client actually needs" - "Turn these client notes into a project brief" - "Does this budget work for the accommodation they are asking for?" - "Write a brief for a house extension"