The rule: describe the problem
The most common briefing mistake is writing the answer instead of the question. A brief that says “open-plan kitchen-diner, 6 × 5 metres, bifold doors to the garden” has decided the arrangement, the size and the opening type before anyone has tested whether that is the best use of the budget or the site.
A brief that says “we cook together most evenings and want whoever is cooking to stay part of the conversation; we eat outside from May to September” describes the same desire and leaves the design free to find the best answer to it.
What belongs in a brief
Who uses it, and how. Describe activities, timing and simultaneous uses so the team can test adjacency and acoustic separation.
Performance requirements. Thermal comfort expectations, acoustic separation, daylight, storage volume, accessibility now or in future, working-from-home needs.
The real budget. Record the amount and whether it covers fees, taxes, furniture, external works and contingency. Flag unknowns for review before developing the design.
The programme. Fixed dates and what drives them — a lease ending, a school year, a birth.
Site constraints you already know. Boundaries, easements, a protected tree, a neighbour’s window, ground conditions, existing structure to retain.
What must not change. Identify fixed conditions such as a retained tree, wall, view, move-in date or spending limit.
What to leave out
- Room dimensions, unless something specific has to fit — say what has to fit instead.
- Layouts you have drawn, except as labelled context.
- Materials chosen from images, before the constraints are known. See how architects select building materials.
- Style adjectives without referents. “Modern but warm” means nothing until it is attached to examples.
Separate requirements from preferences
Write two columns. A requirement is something the project fails without. A preference is something you would like if it fits the budget and the constraints.
Swipe sideways to see the other columns. The first column stays visible.
| Requirement | Preference | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Ground-floor bedroom and accessible bathroom | Freestanding bath |
| Example | Move-in before September | Underfloor heating throughout |
| Example | Home office with door and acoustic separation | South-facing office window |
Use this distinction when trade-offs require a preference to be reconsidered.
Use references properly
Collect images, but annotate every one with what specifically you like about it — the light, the ceiling height, the relationship between two spaces, the material. An unannotated image board is ambiguous: your architect cannot tell whether you liked the room or the sofa.
A workable structure
Copy and fill this editorial template. Use the requirements/preferences examples above; attach evidence where available and keep unknowns visible.
Swipe sideways to see the other columns. The first column stays visible.
| Question | Your entry | Evidence attachment | Unresolved item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context: why this project? | ___ | Existing-condition notes: ___ | ___ |
| Use: who does what, when? | ___ | Activity schedule: ___ | ___ |
| Requirements: what must it achieve? | ___ | Needs/access notes: ___ | ___ |
| Preferences: what can change? | Ranked list: ___ | Annotated examples: ___ | ___ |
| Performance: comfort, sound, light, access? | ___ | Targets or adviser notes: ___ | ___ |
| Budget: amount and included costs? | Amount/scope/contingency: ___ | Dated budget record: ___ | ___ |
| Programme: fixed dates and drivers? | ___ | Lease or milestone record: ___ | ___ |
| Constraints: site, approvals, fabric? | ___ | Surveys/known constraints: ___ | ___ |
| Must not change: which conditions? | ___ | Retention/priority record: ___ | ___ |
| References: what do you like? | ___ | Images with annotations: ___ | ___ |
Hypothetical example shown in the image: Budget includes construction, fees, taxes, furniture, external works and contingency; amount remains to be agreed. Fixed requirements are retaining the existing tree and providing a ground-floor bedroom and accessible bathroom. Version 1 asks for an office with a door; version 2 adds acoustic separation. Budget impact, responsible owner and approval remain pending. These are assumed teaching inputs, not a completed project’s requirements.
After the brief
Use RIBA Plan of Work 2020 as a timing reference: Stage 1 (Preparation and Briefing) prepares the brief and agrees the project budget; Stage 2 (Concept Design) keeps the brief live and agrees departures; Stage 3 (Spatial Coordination) includes cost exercises, an updated cost plan and change-control procedures.
For each change, record version/date, changed requirement, budget and programme impact, responsible owner and approval status. Recheck the budget scope before accepting the revision; pending approval stays visible. This is an editorial record suggestion, not a RIBA form or a replacement for the project’s agreed appointments. See the stages of architectural design for the wider sequence.
For what to ask before you appoint anyone, see questions to ask before starting a home design, and the architectural design process guide for where briefing sits in the sequence.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include a floor plan I have drawn myself?
Include it as context if it helps explain how you want to live, but label it as such. Presented as a requirement, it commits the design to one arrangement before alternatives have been tested — which is the part you are paying for.
How specific should the budget be?
As specific as you can honestly be, including a contingency and whether it covers fees, furniture and external works. Vague budgets produce designs that get value-engineered later, which costs more than designing to the real number.
What if I do not know what I want?
That is normal and workable. Describe how you currently live or work, what frustrates you, and what you have seen that appeals. A good architect can derive requirements from that; they cannot derive them from silence.
How long should a brief be?
Long enough to cover use, performance, budget, programme and constraints. For a house that is often a few pages. Length is not the measure — a short brief that states the real constraints beats a long one that lists adjectives.
Sources
- RIBA Plan of Work — Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Accessed August 27, 2026.
- RIBA Plan of Work 2020 — stage outcomes and core tasks — Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Accessed October 8, 2026.