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Thank you for choosing Planning By Design. Once you have confirmed whether your project is feasible, the next step in every project is to prepare the required architect drawings, which our chartered architects will prepare for you.
By the end of this article, you will know what architectural design is and what architect drawings are required as a minimum for most planning applications as well as how we can help transform your initial idea into beautiful accurate scale architect drawings that will give your planning application the best chance of success.
Architectural design, like fashion, is very personal, and will be heavily swayed by your own preferences. Each project, site and architectural design is unique. If you view our portfolio, you will see that there are many extensions, yet no two are the same.
So, the first step is to establish what you ideally want your architectural design to look like. Most of our clients have a good idea of what they ideally want to achieve when they contact us.
However, when it comes to the architectural design for your project, if you need a little guidance or inspiration, we can arrange an architectural design consultation with one of our architects for a small fee.
Architectural design is the process of producing accurate drawings and structures with the overall project functionality in mind. It is the process of imagining a building’s shape and size upon project completion.
Any architectural design process has 5 essential steps, including:
Architecture, however, is the process of transforming the vision from the architectural designs into reality in technical terms of the construction process.
Architectural design can have a significant effect on the environment, and therefore, the safety measures and sustainability of a project are of utmost importance. This means that the design and aesthetic appeal are also of concern and priority, as those aspects are what can easily leave a sense of awe and fascination within a community.
People aspire toward a community and neighbourhood where they feel safe and hopeful. That is why considering the architectural design of a building is important, as it will impact the lives of those who will enjoy it.
When we provide an architectural design consultation with one of our architects, we still require confirmation of your architectural design brief in writing. This ensures we have a written record of exactly what you ask us to design, and we use this as a checklist while producing your architectural drawings.
Thanks to our incredibly efficient process, the first version of the architectural designs are usually exactly what the client envisages. This saves time and money with design revisions while ensuring the architectural design is exactly what you want.
It also offers additional protection for both parties, if anything that was requested in writing is overlooked it would not count as a revision. Conversely, if new ideas are proposed that were not previously mentioned, these may count as a design revision.
Once we have received and understood your design brief, we aim to have the drawings sent for your review and approval within 7 days. However, for larger or more complex projects it can take a bit longer.
Almost every architectural design application will require the following as a minimum;
Even for a change of use where there are no changes to the building, we still need to submit the above, as this is the only way the council can assess and confirm there are no changes.
If you are only doing something minor like a fence or dropped curb, the architectural designs still need to show the whole property from each side before and after. If we just send a drawing of a fence or dropped curb, the council will not validate the application.
For any retrospective planning applications, although the construction may have already been completed, we still need to show existing elevations on the architectural designs that show what the property looked like before and proposed elevations showing what it looks like now.
To see some examples, please check out our Portfolio, where you can click on any project to view all the required architectural designs and drawings as well as planning statements etc for each application.
These days 99% of householder developments and smaller-scale commercial developments, such as a change of use, do not require a site visit and are instead done via a remote survey.
We understand that for those who are not chartered architects, it might be hard to understand how we can produce accurate architectural designs and drawings without a site visit.
There are many steps to producing architectural designs remotely if a remote process is what suits your project design best.
If the existing property, prior to development or changes, does not need planning permission or if there will already be planning permission granted for the project. Then there may be plans available via the planning portal from previous applications that we can use to gain a good sense of the outlines of the property or development.
If architectural designs are available from a previous application, this is usually all we require to produce new architectural drawings for your proposed development. This is because the existing property will already be shown with accurate external measurements on OS mapping tools, which our architects can use to produce accurate architectural designs.
If there is nothing to see yet or if there is nothing to measure or for anything that is not yet built. We can only produce architectural designs according to your brief, which is always the same whether we pop round for a cup of tea, have a virtual meeting or receive a brief in writing.
We will always require your brief in writing, regardless of whether we discuss the brief in person or over a virtual meeting so that we have a written record of what you require from your architectural design.
For most smaller-scale developments, people usually have a clear idea of exactly what they want from their architectural designs, so can easily provide a written brief detailing this.
However, for larger or more complex developments, such as new-build houses, sometimes clients require a little guidance or inspiration for their architectural designs, which we are happy to help with.
If or when we conduct a site visit, our architects will take photos to work from when they are back at their computer. They can see the same from a photo as they can when they’re on the site, and they will need photos to keep referring to during the architectural design process.
If there are floor plans available on the planning portal from a previous application that reflect the current layout, this is all we need to produce your architectural design.
Similarly, if the property has recently been advertised on an estate agent website or auction site, there will usually be floor plans available, which would likely be all we require to develop your architectural designs.
Even if there are existing floor plans, they are unlikely to pass the councils’ validation criteria, so our architects will still need to produce accurate floor plans with scale measurements.
Where there are no existing floor plans available, all we require is a rough sketch with approximate dimensions for each room. These do not need to be precise, so you do not need to be a professional architect to produce these for us, a rough estimate will be enough for us to produce a good architectural design for your project.
Once we have everything required to clearly understand your brief, our architect will start working on your architectural designs. We aim to have these sent for your review and approval within 7 days.
If any changes are required to the architectural designs, we will of course take care of these and send the revised designs back to you for your approval.
Only once you are 100% happy the architectural designs are exactly what you want will we proceed to the next stage, with your approval.
Whether we conduct an in-person site visit or a remote survey, the result is exactly the same, accurate scale drawings, which every client approves with 100% satisfaction. The only difference is that with a remote survey, you save both time and money.
Architectural design is the process of designing and planning structures, where functionality and aesthetics are the two key elements of the process. The architectural design must be suitable for both the experience of the user, and it must meet the needs of the client and the project requirements.
An architectural designer is the person who is responsible for the overall design of a construction project, including the look and feel of the structure. An architectural designer will use their knowledge and experiences of an environment to create stunning designs that both look good and are efficient to build. A good architectural designer will collaborate with clients to confirm the project requirements, budget and schedule.